The Amice Coven and the Winds of Change
by DevlinGrace
Summary: The continuing saga of the Amice Coven... based on OOTP and will include some direct dialogue. Now entering their O.W.L. year, Tom is back and our heroines intend to fight both him and Fudge. Rated MA- G,H, & L are all 19 or older due to what happened in the last book. Oh yes, there will be sex and swearing. I own only my storyline, all due respect to JKR. Enjoy!
1. Getting to Know You

**A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to the next installment in my saga. This picks up a week after the last book, "The Amice Coven and the Waiting Game." As the Order of the Phoenix, which this is based on, is long to begin with, I have a feeling this will likely go at least 150 chapters... I wanted to start with a quiet bang while still filling in a few blanks left at the end of the last...**

"_Disturbing Discovery in Diagon Alley_

_ A grizzly sight greeted visitors to Diagon Alley this morning when charred and crucified human remains suddenly appeared in the middle of the street, a sign nailed to the chest bearing one word, "Traitor". On further investigation, it was discovered that the body belonged to none other than Peter Pettigrew. You may remember his role in the Potter's murder was revealed last year when Sirius Black, formerly accused of betraying James, Lily and their son Harry Potter, escaped Azkaban. Everyone believed he was on his way to finish the job his master had failed to do and kill young Harry. Through a bizarre series of events which remain a mystery to this day, Pettigrew's identity and guilt was unveiled. Unfortunately, Pettigrew escaped before receiving punishment for his crimes and his whereabouts were unknown until this morning._

_ While I'm certain this will end a painful chapter for Harry Potter, this writer cannot help but wonder how Pettigrew died and how he came to be displayed in Diagon Alley. So badly burned was the body that, if the perpetrator had not taken the time to restore his face and, perhaps more disturbingly, the brand on his left arm, he would not have been recognizable. I don't wish to alarm you, dear readers, but he bore the mark of the darkest wizard of this age, Lord Voldemort._

_ Now I know many are already rushing for parchment and quill to complain to the editor for my use of "You-Know-Who's" chosen name. Before you do that, I would like to reveal what I have found out about the Dark Lord. His name was Tom Marvolo Riddle. A simple rearranging of his name reveals; "I am Lord Voldemort". I am taking a stand, dear readers, as I do no feel a man capable of the atrocities he committed in the name of 'Blood Purity" deserves the respect to be called by a name he chose, (which, incidentally, is French for 'Flight from Death',). He was Tom Riddle, a half-blood orphan who preyed on the fears of Pure Blood elitists in attempt to punish the father that never wanted him. _

_ My apologies, dear readers, for my little rant. _

_ A Healer from St. Mungo's Hospital performed a preliminary autopsy on scene and confirmed that Pettigrew died from a combination of magical fire and blood loss from his missing right hand. More confusing, perhaps, is that he has been dead for almost two weeks. _

_ One has to wonder, with the Dark Mark being cast last summer at the World Cup and now Peter Pettigrew's body being found with the same Mark carefully restored, what exactly is going on? Have Tommy's former minions taken up the cause again? Or has Tommy returned as he had always claimed he would? We can only wait, wonder, and hope the Ministry of Magic will do everything in its power to find the truth."_

Nym sighed and put the Daily Prophet aside.

"You okay?" Sirius asked as he handed her a scotch and soda and sat down beside her.

Nym shook her head, she wasn't okay. She was very from it, in fact. But how could she explain to her cousin that she was in love with someone he believes isn't even sixteen yet _and_ recently engaged? She took a sip of her drink and sighed again.

"You love her, don't you? Hermione?" he asked, smiling when she blushed. "She's only sixteen, Dora, and engaged..." he added gently.

"It's not that simple," she replied vaguely.

"Isn't it though?" he countered.

"If I tell you something you have to promise not to tell anyone, especially Hermione and the others, that I told you," Nym said. She didn't feel right telling Sirius their secret, but she needed someone unbiased to talk to. Amelia had been an incredible friend and willing to listen, but she knew too much about the girls to be objective.

Nym finally looked to him when he didn't answer and received a nod.

"She's not sixteen," she said quietly; "Last time they checked she was just over twenty-one and Luna and Ginny are both over nineteen," she shook her head; "Don't ask me to explain how or why... I shouldn't have even told you this much..."

"She's still engaged," Sirius reminded her, trying not to ask the many questions he had.

"I know," she sighed; "I took her to the Floo to go talk to Molly... it's complicated..."

"What are you saying? Do you already have a relationship with her?"

"We're 'dating'," she admitted; "Ginny knows and is encouraging it... the four of them... they have an interesting relationship... and they want me to be a part of it..."

"And how do you feel about that?" Sirius asked.

"You're not shocked?" Nym asked.

"I spent time with the four of them last Christmas," he smiled; "Remus and I suspected something more was going on between the four of them, but since they seem to be happy, we decided not to say anything," he put his arm around her shoulders; "Every time I spend time with those girls," he shook his head; "I'm amazed by their compassion and their capacity for love..." he paused a moment; "Do you love her?"

"I think so," Nym sighed; "I've never felt this way about anyone... or had someone feel this way about me..." she sniffed as she fought back tears; "But, despite how okay Ginny is with this... I still feel guilty about it," she rubbed her face with her hands; "But I'd never forgive myself if I didn't take the chance to be a part of her life... of all their lives, really," she smiled despite the tears that had started to fall; "When I'm with them... I feel whole... I'm usually so clumsy, but since I met them, all that's changed..."

"I don't know what to say," Sirius said with a sigh as he started to rub her back in comfort; "But something I've discovered is that you have to do what makes you happy... if being with Hermione and the others makes you happy... as long as the good outweighs the bad, then it's worth it... you have to do what is right for you, Dora, and don't worry so much what others might think... it's your life and only you can decide what is right for it..."

"Thanks, Sirius... I think I... I needed to hear that," Nym replied as she hugged him. "Now, let's get this interview over with so I can send this stuff off to Hermione..." she informed him as she retrieved a parchment, sucked the end of an acid green quill and placed it on the parchment. She looked to him and nodded.

He took a deep breath and began the story of how he, Remus, James and Pettigrew had become friends and ruled Hogwarts with pranks for seven years.

...

It was a week into their vacation in France and the girls finally felt as though they were beginning to relax. Fleur had misled them in regards to her family's wealth and the Chateau Delacour was far grander than even Luna, who had travelled there on Dreamwalks with Fleur, had ever guessed. The estate surrounding the château was enormous with its own tropical, and magically replicated, jungle lagoon complete with waterfall.

Hermione lay on her stomach in the sun, the sound of the waterfall lulling her to sleep despite the many things running through her overactive brain. After the party on the night of their arrival, they had spent every spare moment reading the Sister's journals. While the evolution of their relationship mirrored what was happening between the four of them and they were heartened that they were following the right path in deepening the connections between them, the tales of their revenge were disturbing.

The Sisters were single-minded in their defence of those who could not defend themselves and gave no one the chance to redeem themselves. If you hurt someone, you died. It was that simple to them. But even more than that, was how they inflicted their justice. The guilty would be made to suffer whatever they had done to others. The Sisters, however, took no pleasure in it. As they described it, they were only helping the helpless and discouraging others from perpetrating the same crimes.

Hermione fell deeper asleep and began to dream of their last full day at Hogwarts. It hadn't been as peaceful as they had hoped and had started way too early.

Hermione lay in much the same position she had fallen asleep, Ginny on one shoulder and Luna on the other with Fleur spooning Luna from behind.

"Hermione..." called Rowena's voice.

"What is it? What's wrong?" she asked sleepily.

"The rude redhead from last night is back and he's been banging on the door for the last half hour," Rowena informed her.

"Tell him to go away," mumbled Ginny. She was far too comfortable to let Hermione get up to deal with him.

"I would if I could, but I can't," Rowena replied.

Hermione groaned, kissed Ginny briefly, then pulled herself from the bed. She had no desire to leave the comfort of Ginny's arms, but he would have to be dealt with sooner or later.

Summoning her robe on her way downstairs, she steeled herself for the confrontation.

About ten feet from the door she opened it magically and stood waiting for him to enter with her arms across her chest.

"What do you want, Ron?" she asked him as he walked towards her, rubbing the hand he had used to pound on the door.

"You can't marry Ginny," he stated.

"Why not?"

"She's not even fourteen yet and you're not even sixteen... how can you possibly know she's the one?" he asked.

"Because I do," she said with a sigh. "Ron... I love Ginny and that is never going to change," she said evenly. "Even if something did happen and we split up... I'm a lesbian, Ron, and that means I'd never be with you, or any other boy for that matter... I'm sorry to be so blunt, Ron, but it's the truth," she walked up to him and put her hands on his arms. "The main reason we're getting married now is because..." she sighed, she wasn't sure how he would take it; "we've spent one night apart in the last year... it almost cost me my life in the second task... with Voldemort back," he shuddered and gasped; "Get a grip... it's only a name," she admonished him; "Anyway... we found out Fudge intends to interfere at the school next year... if it were found out how we were able to spend every night together it would raise too many questions... questions we can't answer.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," she continued; "I didn't mean for you to find out that way," she frowned; "How exactly did you find your way here anyway?"

"I was there when Dobby came to fetch Harry and Morgan... I followed them," he replied, "I'm sorry... I just... I don't understand this... how you can commit your life to someone when you're both still so young..."

"What difference does it make?" she said with a smile; "We get married this summer or a few years down the road when we graduate?"

"I'm sorry... I don't know how you managed to convince my mother," he shook his head and began walking backwards towards the doors; "I can't accept this..."

"So I guess you don't want an invitation to the wedding?" Ginny asked sarcastically as she came to hug Hermione from behind. "We're having it a few days after my birthday..."

Ron stopped dead in his tracks.

"_This_ summer?" he asked, Hermione and Ginny both nodding in response.

Ron just nodded and walked out the door.

"Rowena?" Hermione called, waiting until she appeared to continue; "I have a feeling there's more to our new home than you've let on..."

Rowena smiled as Fleur and Luna came to join them.

"This," she said as she turned in a circle with her arms spread out; "was our masterpiece," she smiled. "When others enter, this is what they will see," the room transformed around them. What was once the size of a small house with eight bedrooms, sitting room, large kitchen, bathroom, library and potions lab now appeared as one sitting room with an attached kitchen, three bedrooms and a serviceable bathroom. "The Goblins went out of their way to create this space for us," she smiled; "I guess I know why now..." she shook her head and the space returned to its normal state. "The Goblin tunnels do not run around your new home... this is, quite simply, a dead zone... you are protected from the emotions and thoughts of others as well as unwelcome visitors. No one will be able to enter here without your permission.

"Now, Hermione, I know you're probably itching to explore my library, but I'm going to have to limit your time there today," Rowena smiled; "or we won't see you again until you leave tomorrow..."

"Hmm... what?" Hermione asked sleepily as she woke.

"Sorry, love," Ginny said, then kissed her cheek. She hadn't meant to wake her when she lightly ran her finger down her back to stop her from burning; "You were getting really red... and you have mail," she said as she pointed to the patiently waiting owl that was sitting in front of her.

"What did you just do?" asked Narcissa, who was sitting in a comfortable chair beside them reading a book.

"Shit... I..." Ginny said as she sat up quickly and faced her.

"Forgot I was here?" Narcissa teased; "That, I'm getting used to," she smiled; "What did you just do?" she pressed.

Hermione sat up and untied the Daily Prophet and a tightly rolled parchment.

"We might as well tell her," Hermione said as she unrolled the parchment and smiled as she read the interview Nym had conducted with Sirius... it would be a nice follow-up to the article on the front of page of the Prophet.

"Are you sure, Sun?" Ginny asked.

"If we're going to ask Draco to risk his life then she should know that we can protect him," Hermione replied as she looked to the lake. Fleur and Luna were snogging and Draco, unnoticed by them, was laying on a raft watching them. _"You might want to give Draco a splash,"_ she thought to Luna and Fleur. She watched as, without drawing their attention from each other, Draco was thrown from his raft when it flipped over. _"It's time we talk to them about our plan... come join us? Bring Draco..."_

"Be right there," Luna replied.

"Care to tell me what you're talking about?" Narcissa asked.

In response Hermione handed her the newspaper while they waited for the others to join them.

"He's back, isn't it?" Narcissa asked in a hushed voice as her son and the two girls joined them.

Hermione nodded then looked to Ginny, Luna and Fleur.

"Ready?" she asked, they nodded and the three younger girls let Narcissa and Draco see their true selves for the first time. "Please... if you don't agree to help, just keep our secret?"

Draco and Narcissa nodded numbly then sat quietly as they explained how and why they had aged.

"That still doesn't explain how Ginny healed Hermione's sunburn with a touch," Narcissa said shrewdly. "Or, for that matter, how Ginny knew to have Madam Pomfrey perform an examination that revealed Draco's heart condition..." she trailed off, then smiled; "Or how you knew to offer us help... I thought it was just Ginny that was special, but it's all of you, isn't it?"

"We'll need you both to swear some oaths when we're done if you want to know more," Luna offered.

Draco laughed; "We both owe you life debts... we can't betray your confidence, even if we wanted to..."

"Technically, your mother owes Dobby a life debt..." started Ginny.

"No... I don't," corrected Narcissa; "A human can't owe a life debt to a house elf," she held up her hand; "I'm not saying it's right, but had you not sent him, he would not have come... he only did what he thought you would want him to do..."

"That doesn't seem fair," Hermione replied with a frown, shook her head and looked to Draco; "I'm sorry... but we're still going to need an oath from you if you choose to be a part of our plan..."

"Plan?" Draco said with an uncertain smile.

"How would you like to make a difference at Hogwarts?" Luna asked.

"He can't go back there," Narcissa said, a trace of fear in her voice.

"We wouldn't be asking if we didn't think we could keep him safe," Hermione assured her. "No one would know who he is..."

"I've been working on a variation of Polyjuice potion that would need an antidote to wear off," Luna provided. "You would still need to take a break from it once in a while, but it won't wear off unless you want it to..."

"We were also thinking you should be sorted into Hufflepuff," added Ginny, receiving a snort of derision from Draco.

"It's part of a bigger plan," Hermione started; "My half-brother, Morgan," she smiled at his look of surprise; "is transferring to Hogwarts for his last year and will be sorted into Slytherin... he'll need help navigating the political waters of that house, but I'm afraid if you were sorted with him, someone might recognize you... few people know you very well outside of Slytherin..."

"But why Hufflepuff?" he asked.

"Because Fudge intends to meddle at the school next year and we're planning to fight it," Fleur replied.

"We intend to start training our fellow students to defend themselves and we need a Hufflepuff contact, but with Morgan as your brother, you'll also have an 'in' in Slytherin," Hermione smiled; "I never thought I'd say this, but we need your help Draco... you know the Slytherins. Who we can trust and who wants to change..."

"And no one would know who I am?" Draco asked thoughtfully, a small smile on his lips.

"Only those we trust," replied Ginny.

"And anyone you trust, but they still can't know about us," amended Hermione.

"About that..." prodded Narcissa.

"I'm a Healer," Ginny provided.

"What's so special about that?" asked Draco.

"You misunderstand, Draco, Ginny heals with a touch... not magic," Narcissa explained.

"Actually, I have studied with Madam Pomfrey," Ginny corrected; "I use a combination of both," she looked to Draco; "For example... my ability allows me to take a person's injury and then heal myself... with you, I used my gift to figure out what was wrong and then sent a burst of my healing to your heart to start it again..." she looked back to Narcissa, "When you showed up in our quarters," she shook her head as she saw Narcissa's beaten body again; "You were far too injured for me to take it on... I gave you a controlled burst of healing to stabilize you and get you to the Hospital Wing..." she smiled; "Would you like me to check on your baby? Maybe tell you the gender?"

"I'd like that, thank you," Narcissa replied.

Ginny went to kneel beside her and put her hand on her belly.

"She's healthy," Ginny said quietly; "But Madam Pomfrey was wrong... she wasn't conceived that night... she's maybe," she concentrated; "three or four weeks older," she looked up to Narcissa; "You must have magically protected her... it's part of the reason you were so tired..."

"Mother?" Draco said tentatively and waited for her to meet his eyes; "You don't remember?"

"What?" she asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"When I was home over Easter... I heard you arguing with him," he looked at her in wonder; "The bastard... he stole your memory..." he hissed angrily.

"If that's true, we can help," offered Hermione. "We've done it a few times now..."

"And what is your gift?" Narcissa asked despite her shock.

"I'm a Telepath and Luna is a Empath," Hermione said with a smile as recognition dawned on Narcissa's face; "Yes... that is how we knew to offer you help... I didn't actively read you, but you let your guard down for just a few seconds..."

"How can you help her?" asked Draco.

"I use my gift to find the blocked memories," started Hermione.

"Then I use mine to heal the charm and any physical damage," continued Ginny.

"And I use my gift to help keep you calm," added Luna.

"And Fleur lends us her magic to make everything work better," finished Hermione.

"You've done this before?" asked Narcissa in awe.

"Twice," Hermione answered; "And their memories were more than a decade old... I have a feeling yours are more recent..."

"They are," Draco said in anger; "You met her at the World Cup... that's where you were when shithead was off acting like an idiot..."

"Who?" Narcissa asked.

"Helen Greengrass," he replied, then looked to Hermione; "Still think I can't keep a secret? I had to keep that from Daphne all year..."

"She's... she's alive?" Narcissa whispered; "That bastard..."

"Narcissa?" Ginny asked as she went to take her hand; "I think... maybe we should have you asleep while we do this... it'll be easier for you to absorb..."

"That's a good idea, Shy," Hermione said as she, Luna and Fleur stood.

"Why would you suggest that?" Narcissa asked.

"We don't how many memories are hidden or what their contents are," Hermione explained; "Or, for that matter, if Lucy is responsible... how bad the memory charms are..."

"No," she said ruefully; "That was something that bastard learned well," Narcissa sighed; "He learned from Him..." she shook her head as they laid her down; "He wasn't weak... just lazy..."

Ginny went to kneel at her head, Hermione behind her and holding her tight for a moment before they both placed their hands on the side of her head, Hermione's hand on top on one side, Ginny's on top on the other. Luna and Fleur knelt beside them, Fleur putting her hand on Hermione's back while Luna did the same with Ginny. They took a deep breath as they completed their circle to center themselves before Luna and Fleur reached for Narcissa's hands.

Ginny leaned down and kissed her forehead softly.

"I know, from personal experience," Hermione said softly; "what it's like to have your memories taken from you... I had the better part of five years taken from me," she explained; "some of the memories weren't good ones, but I am more myself now than I was before... I'm happier now that I remember..."

Narcissa tilted her head back and looked up to Hermione, who had her head on Ginny's shoulder.

"Thank you for this..." she said softly as tears leaked from her eyes. Narcissa hardly felt she deserved their kindness or their help.

"We do it because we can," Luna said softly.

"There's little point in having these gifts if we can't use them to help people," Ginny added then kissed her forehead again. "I'll put you to sleep slowly... just try not to fight it..."

"I trust you," Narcissa replied softly and closed her eyes.

"Thank you," whispered Draco.

Ginny smiled, nodded and closed her eyes.

She allowed the combined magic of her coven flow through her as she gently sent Narcissa to sleep. Hermione kissed her neck to let her know she was ready to start.

Hermione drifted into Narcissa's mind. What she found surprised her. Narcissa's mind was almost as orderly as Severus' and she wondered, idly, if all those in Tom's presence had taken measures to protect themselves from him. Hermione smiled despite herself... while there were several older memories also hidden, most of them were from the last year and were easily found. Lucy's charms had, no doubt, been effective, however they were sloppy and weak. Another week in Ginny's presence and there was a good chance they would have healed themselves.

One by one she located the memories, starting with the oldest ones and working forward. As they worked Hermione noticed that not all the older ones were the work of the same person but she didn't recognize the magic. With each memory they healed, she saw a short flash of it before moving on. The older memories were disturbing, to say the least, and she began to see a pattern... whoever had hidden these memories from Narcissa had done so to protect her.

She and Ginny both started to relax as they reached the newer memories as all but the last was a happy memory. As the last one healed, Ginny let go a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, then leaned forward and kissed Narcissa forehead again, waking her with a short burst of energy.

"You okay?" Hermione asked as she felt Ginny go limp in her arms.

Ginny nodded.

"Water?" Hermione asked.

Ginny opened her mouth to reply, frowned, then nodded again.

"Can't you speak?" Hermione asked, growing concerned as she looked into her eyes. _"Can you hear me?"_ she thought to hear, her fear growing as no reply came from Ginny.

Ginny, however, was growing frustrated. She understood what was going on but she had no way to communicate it. She sat up from Hermione's arms and summoned parchment and quill from their backpack.

_"I'll be fine,"_ she wrote hastily; _"It was a part of the older charms... I think even if they were removed magically there was a back up built-in to silence whoever cast the charm to remove them. I'LL BE OKAY!" _Ginny paused to kiss Hermione, and then begin writing quickly again; _"It's prioritizing.. healing the brain damage first before fixing that... just relax, okay?"_

"How can you be so sure?" Hermione asked.

_"After the first of the older charms I knew something was different," _she looked to Narcissa then back to the parchment, _"The newest will be back in a few hours but the others will take longer to come back... I only did enough to start the process or I'm sure I would have been silent for weeks," _she paused as she heard her girlfriend laugh. She cocked her eyebrow at her.

"I was thinking that might not have been so bad..." Hermione teased, causing Ginny to giggle.

_"The newer ones were weak... they would've come back on their own by the time we headed home... you'll remember everything in a few hours..." _Ginny paused in her writing and looked up to Narcissa, her expression serious, as she looked back to the parchment;_ "The nights will be bad until all the old ones are back... you shouldn't be alone..."_

Hermione had read as Ginny wrote then watched as she handed the parchment to the older witch. Narcissa held it so both Luna and Fleur could also read it.

"Why am I not affected by the spell?" asked Hermione.

Ginny shook her head and shrugged.

"Because Ginny blocked it from you?" Luna asked as she looked to Ginny.

Ginny shook her head.

"Because it was your magic?" Fleur guessed.

Ginny smiled and nodded.

"And I was using my gift..." Hermione concluded thoughtfully.

There were tears in Narcissa's eyes as she looked to Ginny. She was right. The newest of her memories were already coming back, but she could only guess at what the older memories were.

"Thank you," she all but sobbed as she reached for Ginny and Hermione and enfolded the two in a strong hug. She let them go only to turn and hug both Luna and Fleur. Last she looked to a stunned Draco and took his face in her hands; "Thank you for keeping my secret..."

He smiled and blushed.

"You were happy," he said quietly, tears swimming in his eyes, "and I had a great example to get used to the idea all year," he looked to Hermione and Ginny, who were back in each others arms; "You were different this last year... the three of you," he shook his head as he took his mother's hands from his face and gently guided her back to her seat; "You scared the shit out of me at the World Cup..." he said with a smile as he looked to Hermione; "Remember... I had just saw my mother kissing Mrs Greengrass," he blushed furiously; "And my father was being a drunken idiot..." he shook his head; "I was angry at him... angry at the role I've had to play all these years and," he looked off into the distance with a smile on his face but unable to meet their eyes; "I was so jealous," he laughed under his breath at he looked back to them; "Here's me, who's been told all my life that I'm better everyone but I was the one, alone, hanging out in the forest... you two," nodding at Ginny and Hermione; "I saw you during the game," he blushed; "I couldn't take my eyes off you... I could see how in love you were, even though you were trying to be subtle about it... and I've never seen either of you happier..." he looked back to his mother; "How could I not want the same for you after all you've been through?" he asked her earnestly, tears coursing down his reddened face at his own confession.

"Why didn't you say something sooner?" Luna asked softly.

"I told Aunt Andi," he replied; "She went to Helen and told her what happened," he looked back to his mother; "Helen told her they knew this might happen, but worried about the danger... I was just waiting to tell you until they left..." he smiled; "All you have to do is call her house elf."

"Let my mother know to adjust the wards?" Fleur asked, looking at Hermione as she stood then helped Luna to her feet. "We'll go explain what is happening..."

"No... Fleur... it's too much.." Narcissa interrupted.

"Nonsense," Fleur replied with a tinkling laugh; "We have more than enough room..."

"What is her elf's name?" Hermione asked, reinforcing the impression that Narcissa had no choice in the matter.

"Noddy," Narcissa replied with a smile.

_"Lynne?"_ Hermione thought to Fleur's mother, whose full name was Apolline, but like Hermione, had never been overly fond of her name.

_"Oui, chere?"_ came her reply.

_"Can you adjust the wards to allow the Greengrass family and their elf Noddy? Fleur is on her way to explain..." _Hermione answered.

_"Of course... give me ten minutes,"_ Lynne replied; _"I'll let you know when it is done..."_

_"Merci, Lynne..."_

_"De rein,"_ she replied.

"She's waiting on an explanation," Hermione said to Fleur then looked to Narcissa, "Unless you'd like more time?"

"No," she said, smiling through her tears; "We've wasted more than enough time," she took a deep breath and sighed heavily; "And if those older memories are what I think they are," she shook her head; "I'm going to need Helen..."

"You understand we'd like to keep who we are from Daphne for now?" asked Luna.

"Of course," Narcissa smiled; "I only want Helen at the moment..."

"We'll see you in a bit?" asked Fleur, then added in thought; _"My room? See if we can't help Ginny?"_

Hermione smiled and nodded.

"I'll let you know when the wards are adjusted," Fleur said aloud and looked to Draco; "Care to join us?"

He blushed, nodded and stood.

"Will you be alright?" he asked his mother.

"I will be now," she said as she stood and enveloped him in a hug; "Thank you Draco... for watching over me..."

"You're all I have," he admitted quietly, his voice choked with emotion.

"You have us now too, Draco," Luna said quietly; "You're kind of like an annoying little brother but... you won't be alone if you choose to come back."

He nodded and looked up to his mother.

"It's your choice," Narcissa told him quietly; "I would fear for your safety, but I know how important this is to you..." she kissed his forehead tenderly; "Not everyone gets a second chance..."

Draco stepped from his mother's arms and searched her eyes a moment.

"I think... I think I'd really like that..."

"I'm so proud of you," Narcissa said, tears, that had never really stopped, coursing down her face again.

"Come... I need to go see my mother," Fleur prodded gently, she wanted Narcissa to have a chance to gather herself before Helen arrived.

Draco nodded and followed her and Luna back towards the château.

"We'll keep him safe, Cissy," Hermione said quietly; "And if it looks like he's in danger we'll get him out immediately..."

"Thank you," Cissy replied as Hermione handed her a glass of water she had conjured, Ginny already sipping one of her own. "I know you will," she continued after taking a sip; "I can almost feel the magic radiating off the four of you in the morning..." she looked to Hermione thoughtfully; "Can I ask what your intentions are towards my niece?"

Hermione blushed and buried her hair in Ginny's shoulder.

"I've heard you talking about her," Cissy prodded gently, "I can tell you all care for her..."

Hermione looked up hesitantly.

"Andi told me what she's been through, Dora," she smiled as she watched twin grins spread across the girls faces at the mention of Nym's name; "Due to her nature as a Metamorph," she shook her head; "She was taken advantage of a lot and hurt many times," she said softly; "You care for her?"

"We do," Hermione replied quietly.

"Then I think the four of you are exactly what she needs," she replied, her tone mischievous; "What? You think I've missed how affectionate the four of you are?" she laughed; "If I were twenty years younger..." she laughed and shook her head; "The four of you are very beautiful and your beauty is only made all the more brilliant by the love that you so obviously share for each other," she grew serious; "Just don't hurt her, Dora..."

"Not in a million years," Hermione replied adamantly as Ginny nodded her head.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Cissy asked with concern as she looked to Ginny.

_"Three or four hours," _came Ginny's soft reply in Hermione's head who immediately sighed in relief as she smiled and kissed her cheek.

She looked to see Narcissa looking on confused.

"She just projected a thought to me," Hermione explained. "May I ask... who's the father?"

"Jeffery Greengrass... Helen's husband," she shook her head and laughed; "It was a foolish plan... Posh didn't take my relationship..."

"Posh?" Hermione interrupted.

"My personal nickname for Lucius," Cissy laughed; "Piece of shit human," she clarified to their laughter.

"I am so using that," Hermione gasped out.

"Be my guest," Cissy replied good naturedly; "Even after Posh found out about me and Helen he was too distracted by his Mark to care... until I turned up pregnant with Jeffy's baby..." they saw anger flash across her features before she took a deep breath then met Hermione's eyes. "If you think you can't trust me..." she took a deep breath; "I don't know who Draco's father is, and I haven't told him..." seeing the shock on their faces she continued; "Posh was incapable of children... he had his..." she shook her head and began to sob.

Hermione and Ginny were up and had Cissy in their arms before she knew what had happened.

"I forced his hand too far... I thought he'd throw me and Draco out..." she admitted as her breathing returned to normal and she gently pushed the two girls away; "I think it was always his plan to claim the child as his own..."

"The older memories," Hermione said quietly as she and Ginny resumed their spot on the grass. "They weren't him," she looked to Cissy thoughtfully; "Did Severus teach you Occlumancy?" she asked to her surprise; "He shared a memory with us... I recognize his style and his magic... some of the older ones are his, but there's another," she shook her head; "It's similar, but..."

"Bella..." Cissy said, her voice barely above a whisper, then looked to the girls; "Slytherin house was a different place before Severus became its Head... she protected me," she shook her head and looked down at her hands; "Whatever she became because of Tom... she is my sister..." she looked back to them; "But I'll tell you more about Bella another day... she's as safe as she can be, for the moment, and I have happier things to remember today..."

As if on cue, Hermione heard Fleur's voice in her head letting them know it was safe to call for Noddy.

"If you're ready..." Hermione said with a smile; "You can go ahead..."

"Oh, dear..." Cissy exclaimed, "I must look a mess..."

"You're beautiful," Hermione assured her as she handed her a wet cloth to wipe the evidence of the tears from her face. "And I doubt she'll care..."

Narcissa wiped her face, ran her hands through her hair and called for Noddy.

The little elf appeared and ran into her waiting arms.

"You're safe!" he squealed.

"I am little one... can you bring me Helen?" she asked.

He nodded and disappeared, Narcissa watching the place he had vanished, nervously wringing her hands until she felt two hands rubbing her back in comfort. She relaxed marginally then started when Noddy returned with another sharp crack.

"Narry!" Helen exclaimed, and ran into an already crying Narcissa's arms.

The girls stepped away to give them a little privacy and quietly started to gather their things only looking back to them when they heard their names.

"Helen... I'd like you to meet two of the girls responsible for, well, everything really..." Cissy said as she wiped away her tears.

"Thank you," Helen said as she rushed forward and hugged the two girls tightly. She stepped back and took Narcissa back into her arms, a hand over her slightly protruding belly. "I knew she was safe..." she turned her head and kissed Narcissa's cheek; "I missed you so much though... how could I not come?"

"We'll see you for dinner?" Hermione asked, drawing their attention, understanding for once how her own displays of affection were viewed by others.

"Breakfast... maybe..." Narcissa joked, her voice already husky.

"And please... you needn't thank us," Hermione said warmly as she reached for their hands; "Given what's coming..." she sighed; "The more love in the world, the better..."

Helen and Narcissa drew the two into a hug and thanked them again, smiling broadly despite their tears.

Hermione and Ginny walked back towards the chateau, their arms around each other, both smiling.

"You should have left the older ones alone," Hermione said gently; "We'd have found another way..."

Ginny shook her head;_ "After first... too late..." _she thought quietly to Hermione. She couldn't explain now and it was frustrating her greatly. Even projecting a thought to her fiancée was difficult. She knew something was different after the first memory, but even though she worried about what the effect would be, she was able to adjust and not take on more of the damaging charm than necessary... unfortunately, the cumulative effect of the small amount she had taken had, literally, rendered her speechless.

"I got all that... just so you know..." Hermione said gently. She was worried about Ginny and had gently read her thoughts as they walked. "Sorry... I knew you would be thinking about it..."

Ginny shook her head, smiled, and hugged her close... letting her know she understood and she was okay with it.

"Guess we don't need words, huh?" Hermione joked and kissed her temple.

Ginny laughed and shook her head.

"I didn't mean to second guess love... just worried..." Hermione said quietly but was silenced by Ginny's kiss.

Hermione pulled away with a sigh, kissed her forehead, then leaned her own against it.

"We'll be okay," she kissed her softly and searched her eyes; "C'mon... let's go join Luna and Fleur and see if we can't get your voice back..." Hermione said, her voice growing deeper near then end, trailing off at the look of desire in Ginny's eyes. "Thank God it's only a few more weeks..."

...

It was much later that night, Helen and Narcissa lay exhausted, sated, and content in each others arms. After a walk around the lagoon catching up on all they had missed they retreated to Narcissa's room to catch up in an entirely different way.

"There were older memories too..." Cissy said quietly, her head nestled on Helen's shoulder. "They told me it might take a few weeks and the nights might be rough..."

"I'm not going anywhere," Helen interrupted and turned on her side so she could see her beloved's eyes; "I'm never letting you go again..." she reached out and stroked her cheek gently; "I've missed you so much..." she kissed her softly. "How would you feel about being Jeff's second wife?"

"Rather marry you," Cissy replied smiling.

"But this way you could come home... we can keep you and Draco safe..."

"I'll think about it..."

"We could have our own little ceremony," Helen offered as she began to stroke Cissy arm.

"You know I'm probably going to say yes," Cissy replied with a light laugh; "Just let me be a little proper and have him ask me himself..."

"Okay..." Helen replied brightly and pulled her close again. "I know it's not the perfect solution, love..."

"Any solution that means I never have to leave you again," Cissy said quietly, pulling her even closer; "Sounds pretty close to me..."

**A/N 2: Thanks to all for your great reviews at the end of the last book... it was a long journey and it was with great relief I hit complete. I will try to post a chapter a week but it all depends on my work schedule... hope you enjoyed the chapter and welcome back!**


	2. Chapter 2-Draco's Truth

Hermione's teeth grazed Ginny's neck as the four of them rode out the aftershocks of their latest attempt to help Ginny heal. Three days and she had yet to utter a word. Three days and she could barely even project a thought. Hermione looked up when she felt Ginny begin to beat the mattress with her fists, her mouth open in a silent scream and tears streaming down her face.

"Hush, baby... it's okay... it's going to be okay..." Hermione cooed between placing soft kisses on her neck and slowly making her way to her lips. "We'll call him..."

Ginny shook her head.

"Love? We need to find out if this is permanent... from what Hermione said, I'm positive it's his magic... he can fix it..." Luna soothed as she rubbed her arm.

In the time Ginny had been silent, they had barely seen the rest of the inhabitants of the chateau apart from the various house elves who brought them food, only forcing themselves out of their room for dinner each night and then a walk around the lagoon. Most nights Ginny and Hermione shifted into their wolf forms and went running off ahead of Fleur and Luna who preferred a slower pace.

While in the confines of their bedroom they did everything just short of going 'all-the-way' in an effort to give Ginny the magic needed to heal the silencing charm. All they achieved, however, was to become more sexually frustrated than they had been before and Ginny becoming more and more visibly upset after each attempt.

The night before they had finally decided to try a four-way Dreamwalk to see if Ginny could at least communicate to them that way. Ginny had laughed for ten minutes straight when she found she had a voice in their dream. That was all the four of them did for several hours... just talk.

They agreed that they would try one more time in the morning and, if they were still unsuccessful, they would summon Severus. During the last day of school, Hermione had a brilliant idea based on the locators the Champions had worn in the maze. She always worried when she sent Nym a message that it would be at a bad time. The new coins worked in conjunction with their map... Hermione would simply hold her own coin in one hand and place her hand on the map with the other while thinking of the person she needed to contact. A dot would soon appear on the map with their location forming around them. If it seemed a bad time to contact them, she would instruct her own coin to contact the recipient when it was safe to do so and grow warm in her pocket to let her know it had been done. Her father had created the new coins and distributed them as she asked. Several of them, like the ones she had given her parents, had emergency Portkeys built-in.

When they woke, they were surprised and immediately concerned to realize it was already morning and they had been asleep for more than eight hours. They were certain they had only talked for no more than a few hours which meant it had been difficult for them to just sit around and talk.

Ginny had immediately broken into tears again and they had collectively attempted for several hours to distract her and make her feel better as they were reluctant to concede defeat.

"It'll be okay, Shy..." Hermione assured her.

Ginny's silence, however, had one positive side effect... it had brought the four of them even closer. Intimate in a way they hadn't known possible. True, Ginny could write what she needed to say, but there were times when it was inconvenient to do so. Instead Hermione had remained a subtle presence in her mind ever since they realized it was the easiest way for her to communicate. When then four became lost in each other physically, Hermione would project Ginny's thoughts to the others. Through it all they had strengthened the already strong bond between them.

Hermione gently wiped away her tears, then kissed her softly.

"Let's go take a shower, have breakfast and then I'll call for him..." Hermione offered, and sat up, the blanket held to her chest. "Dobby!" she called.

By the time the little elf arrived, she had summoned a robe and tied it around herself.

"Good morning, Dobby... would you be able to bring Severus here when he asks?" Hermione asked him and received his nod.

"Breakfast in the Study?" Fleur asked as she climbed from the bed and stretching, much to everyone's appreciation, as she walked across the room to the bathroom. "What? Have you all been affected by the charm now?" she teased.

"By your charm, perhaps," Hermione countered, pleased when Fleur blushed.

She looked back to Ginny, smiled, then said to Fleur; "You guys go ahead into the shower... give us a few minutes?"

"Of course," Fleur replied as Luna joined her, taking her into her arms as they walked into the bathroom.

Hermione laid back down next to Ginny.

"It's going to be okay, love... promise..." she told her softly. "We'll fix this like we fix everything else... okay?" Ginny nodded uncertainly. "I promise... I do..."

...

Severus Snape had only just passed the Hogwarts gates on his weekly run for supplies when the coin Albus had given him grew warm in his pocket. _"We need your help... please have Dobby bring you... we won't keep you long, HGW..."._ His curiosity piqued, he turned on his heel and exited the castle grounds while calling for Dobby. What in the world could they need his help for? He stopped mid stride. "They're with Cissy and Draco..." he deduced, "but how?"

He called for Dobby again, a little more urgently.

"I's sorry, Professor..." Dobby stammered as he fell to his knees in apology.

"It's alright Dobby," Severus said, with a kindness the elf had never heard from him before. "Can you take me to the girls please? They've asked to see me..."

"Of... of course... Professor," Dobby replied as he stretched a hand towards him.

As they travelled Severus had just long enough to determine where it was Dobby was taking him. Admonishing himself for not figuring it out sooner. France. Dobby brought him into Fleur's home and deposited him outside of a highly polished door. He paused and took a breath to steel himself. He hoped the girls, and especially Cissy, understood and forgave him for what he had done. What he felt he had needed to do to protect Cissy. He shook his head when he noticed his hand trembling as he placed it on the door to open it. The time for truth had been a long time coming... it was time she knew.

Severus entered and was momentarily blinded by the bright sunshine streaming trough the floor to ceiling windows on the wall opposite him. Had he been able to see, he may have been surprised as a smiling Narcissa came to hug him.

"Thank you," she whispered into his ear.

"You're not... you're not angry with me?" he asked in shock.

"I haven't remembered everything, yet, but I've seen enough to know you only hid my memories from me to try to protect me... there is nothing to forgive..." she told him as she stared into his dark eyes.

"I'm still sorry," Severus said quietly and looked down.

"Sev?" she said quietly, lifting his chin with his finger. "It's okay, really, I've figured it out... all of it... thank you..."

"Have you told Draco?" he asked quietly.

"Not yet," she replied, "But I want to, Sev... you've been a better father to him in your limited role than Posh ever was..."

"You really have remembered everything," he said, slightly awed.

"The older memories are coming back slowly," she smiled and looked over to where Helen sat quietly talking to the girls. "The ones Posh placed over the last year are gone completely..." she looked back to him; "We need to start taking Draco off his potion regimen..." she smiled; "He's changed so much, Sev... it's time he knows who and what he is..." she took a deep breath; "He's going back to Hogwarts this fall," she shook her head and laughed ruefully; "The girls have a plan and Draco wants a second chance..."

"Perhaps..." Severus said hesitantly, "we shouldn't tell Draco yet? About my role I mean?"

"I will only tell him what his father's plan was and that a dear friend intervened on my behalf," she smiled as his cheeks coloured slightly; "But his biological father's identity needs to remain a secret for now..." she studied him a moment; "I haven't seen his true form since he settled on the one he has now... he may figure it for himself..." she looked briefly to the girls and back; "Or they will..."

"I wouldn't be surprised if they haven't already," he joked.

"They've been preoccupied," Cissy replied with a laugh; "As have I..."

"I'm happy for you, Cissy... you deserve this," he said sincerely as he put his hands on her arms and gave them a squeeze. "Which one has lost their voice?"

"Ginny," she replied, surprising him. "They are quite adept at telling each person only what they need to know," she said, a tad wryly.

"Yes," he laughed; "I have noticed that... come, I haven't much time..." he added as he motioned towards the girls.

He looked around the room as he walked over. Now that his eyes had adjusted to the sunlight, he noticed the room seemed a combination of lounge, sitting room and library. The girls and Helen were seated in overstuffed leather couches, each of them sipping, what appeared to be, white wine.

"I have to admit, Hermione," he said as he took a seat and accepted a glass of wine from Fleur, "When I figured out, on the way here, what must have happened... I assumed it would be you who had lost their voice..."

"Or were you hoping?" she asked, her tone light.

Severus laughed before answering; "Perhaps... how did this happen?"

Hermione took a deep breath.

"I'm not the only one with a gift," she started; "Ginny is a Healer..."

"That explains a great deal," he interrupted genially.

"Using our gifts together, we are able to find, and remove, memory charms," she looked to Ginny sympathetically; "This is the first time she hasn't shaken off the effects within hours... it's been three days of concentrated effort and no change..."

"That was your first mistake," he interrupted again. "Trying to fix the charm would only give it more power..." he smiled when Hermione smacked herself in the forehead. "It was a fail-safe... if someone suddenly became unable to communicate I would know they had, at the very least, attempted to remove the charms... the strength of the charm is directly proportional to the success of the removal..." he paused and studied Ginny a moment; "Have you been able to write?" she nodded. "You shouldn't have been able to..." he said thoughtfully.

"She knew something was different after the first one and used more magic than her gift to heal the rest. We had thought, maybe, it was because her gift prioritizes what needs healing most so it has been concentrating on healing the brain damage," Cissy gasped in horror; "Don't worry... she'll be fine... the charms were very well placed and the damage minimal... Posh's charms would have healed on their own just being around Ginny by the time we head home..."

"That would have been your second mistake," Severus commented again, drawing their attention and giving Cissy a moment to recover. "The stronger the magic, the stronger the counter charm..." he shook his head; "You should be catatonic..." he smiled as he reached over to squeeze Ginny's knee; "Don't worry... I can remove it..." she smiled and, although no sound was made, sighed. "You should avoid speaking for a few days," he frowned slightly; "Then again, given your gift..."

"You're still worried," Luna stated, drawing his attention for the first time.

"And what is your gift?" he asked, neutrally.

"Empath," she replied, just as flatly.

He shook his head slowly as the pieces fell into place. He suddenly realized how the girls engendered trust in those they spoke with. It truly was a combination of their gifts.

"I will need to use Legilimancy to enter Ginny's mind so I can assess how strong the charm is," he looked to Ginny again; "I'm sorry... I have a vague understanding of what happened with Tom's diary, but I made it a part of the process of removing the charm," he looked to Cissy then back to Ginny, "I assumed if someone was attempting to restore her memories that they would be meaning her harm," he smiled; "Perhaps that is why you're able to communicate at all... your intentions were good..." he shook his head; "My intention was to keep the person quiet until I could question them and determine their intent..."

Ginny reached for, and squeezed, Hermione's hand.

"It'll be okay, love..." she looked back to Severus; "You mustn't take it personally... she's only recently gotten used to having me in her head," she smiled, then kissed Ginny's cheek; "She's even had trouble projecting thoughts to me," she shook her head and looked back to Ginny; "From what I understand of Legilimancy, as long as you don't fight it, it should feel no different than what I do..."

"I have a very gentle touch," Severus added gently, "I will only be a few seconds at most..."

Ginny turned and searched Hermione's eyes a moment. They had discussed this very possibility in the shower. Their main worry was, never having had someone attempt to magically enter their minds, the great deal of information he could be privy too.

"I will only be assessing the strength of the charm, nothing more," he assured them, almost sensing the reason for their reluctance.

Ginny took a deep breath and nodded.

Severus took his wand from his sleeve.

"Maintain eye contact with me, okay?" he informed her, waiting until she had nodded to point his wand at her and muttering the incantation. True to his word he only needed a few seconds to assess the charm's strength, but his short visit had left him stunned. He sat back on the couch and rubbed his chin. "You've never actively studied Occlumancy?" he asked.

"No... just practising blocking each others gifts," Hermione replied.

"You have an impressive mind, Ginny," he said, causing the girl to blush slightly. He looked to Hermione, "I can only imagine what your mind is like..."

"Can you remove it?" Hermione pressed, she didn't want him to figure just how they had learned from each other.

"I can," he smiled and sat forward again. "Relax... this won't hurt a bit..."

Ginny nodded again.

He pointed his wand at her again and muttered his counter-curse.

"Thank you," Ginny said quietly, Hermione hugging her immediately. She hesitated only a moment before hugging a shocked Severus.

"Thank you," she whispered, her voice barely a whisper.

"It was the least I could do," he assured her as he awkwardly patted her back.

"I'm sorry," she said as she released him, gathering herself as she poured Ginny a glass of water; "I didn't realize how much I'd missed her voice until I heard it again..."

"What is so impressive about my mind?" Ginny asked, her voice already getting stronger, albeit a little hoarse from all the screaming she hadn't given voice to.

"For one who has never studied the Mind Arts, your defences are incredibly strong," he shook his head; "I doubt I could breach them even if I tried."

"It lends credence to a theory I have," Hermione started thoughtfully, then took a sip of her wine. "I don't think our gifts are really all that rare... I think many people possess a latent ability..."

"Which explains why some types of magic comes so easily to some people," commented Fleur, Hermione nodding in agreement.

"Which makes what the three of you are all the more remarkable," Severus countered, sounding impressed despite himself; "You are the pure manifestation of these gifts and are able to use them with ease..."

"Yes... but the question is," Narcissa started, "Are their gifts as strong as they are because they're so magically powerful or are they so magically powerfully because of their gifts?"

"I think it's a circle," Luna replied, "One fuels the other..."

"As for the ease we use our gifts," interjected Ginny, they were entering dangerous information time and the conversation needed to be steered away; "it's been a lot of trial and error;" she sipped her wine, then continued, her voice now strong and clear; "But we seem to know instinctively what we're capable of..."

"Astounding," he breathed.

"Sir? Why are you so tired?" Ginny asked.

"Your magic was very strong and so was the counter-charm," he looked to Fleur; "I'm afraid I'm exhausted... may I use your Floo to return to Hogwarts?"

"We'll go let your mother know," Helen offered, already going to stand, her hand held out to Narcissa.

"Thank you," Fleur replied.

"Don't be a stranger, Sev," Narcissa whispered as she hugged him; "Hard times are coming... we need to stick together..."

"I'll get the potions to you in a few days," he whispered back before letting her go.

"Thanks, Sev... take care?" Narcissa said warmly.

"You too..."

Helen and Narcissa left, a comfortable silence falling between the normally sullen professor and the four girls. The professor wearing a smile on his face as he stared at the door the two women had exited.

"I'm shocked at you four," he commented as he looked back to them; "I would have thought you'd be asking questions about He-Who-Whines the moment they were out the door," he teased.

The girls chuckled nervously.

"How is old Tommy?" Hermione asked.

Severus chuckled under his breath as he reached into his robes, then looked at what he had in his hand and changed his mind.

"Give this to Cissy," he said as he handed it to Hermione, "She'll know what to do with it and it should help her sleep..." he grabbed his forgotten glass of wine as he sat back and took a long swallow of it before he gave them his update. "He's almost gotten strong enough to be moved," he shook his head; "His magic was back to about half ,and his physical strength was returning just as slowly..."

"Was?" asked Hermione.

"Your article, Hermione," he smiled; "it had the intended effect... he's since regained another ten percent of his magic and has stopped staring at the wall and weeping for hours."

"Does he know we're behind the article?" Ginny asked.

"No, you wrote a very convincing Rita," he smiled.

"There's going to be a follow-up," Hermione said, her tone careful; "an interview with Sirius... it should be out in a few days... you should read it..."

Nym's interview with Sirius had gone into great detail about their years at Hogwarts and his almost overwhelming regret for those he and his friends had bullied. Although Sirius didn't come out and say it, he did apologize to Severus personally in the article and commented that, knowing what he knew now, perhaps he'd have been a better friend to have than Peter.

Severus regarded Hermione a moment, in truth, he had long ago let the grudge he felt towards the Marauders go. His treatment of Remus was more of an act than anything. Severus always knew that Tom would come back and, even though he would have preferred to make friends of his former tormentors, he had to keep up appearances. It had been a lonely fourteen years, but he had kept others at bay for a reason. After losing the one person he had truly cared for, he couldn't risk it ever happening again. He smiled, perhaps he could cut Black and Lupin a little slack. Were they not on the same side? Did they not want the same thing? They were all a part of the Order... a little less open animosity would make things easier.

"Would you, perhaps, consider teaching us Occlumancy this coming year?" Ginny asked, stirring him from his thoughts.

"You hardly need it," he replied.

"We need to learn to block someone who is actively attempting to read us," Hermione countered; "The more we test our defences the stronger they get..."

"And there are others we'd like to teach," added Fleur.

Severus studied the four. As it was with potions, he doubted there was very little he could actually teach them about the Mind Arts. He supposed, however, that they had a point. They had learned instinctively, perhaps even combining their magic with their gift without even knowing it. He smiled, he couldn't help but have his curiosity piqued again.

"I think we could do that," he finally replied, but was still lost in thought. Luna was certainly more than capable of producing the potions Draco would need to be weaned from them completely. He chuckled under his breath, she'd already done just that for Junior and with a far more complicated potion. He looked to Ginny and cocked his head; "Are you able to heal people of potions?"

Ginny nodded.

"Can you do it gradually?" he questioned.

"Probably," she replied.

Severus nodded. but didn't have a chance to explain his queries as Narcissa returned.

"The Floo is ready for you, Sev..." she told him as she entered.

"Severus?" Ginny said as she stood; "Thank you for coming so quickly..." she paused a moment; "Does Draco have any memory charms in place that you know of or, maybe, placed yourself? We'd like to check, but..."

"There are only two that I know of," Severus replied as he looked to Narcissa; "I'd ask that you leave them in place until his mother is able to explain..."

"Of course..." Ginny smiled, "And I'd like to give you something as my personal thanks," she added as she reached for his hand and gave him a boost of magic and energy.

Severus stood a little straighter and smiled; "Thank you..."

"Be safe," Hermione said as she laid a hand on his arm; "try not to kill him out of sheer frustration..."

"No promises," Severus joked, then went to join Narcissa at the door. "Draco doesn't need potions... Ginny can heal him of them," he smiled; "It would probably be better for him... give him more time to get used to his ability before he has to use it?"

"Are you sure I can't tell him, Sev?" Narcissa asked him, "He's a smart boy, he'll understand why it needs to remain secret..." she linked her arm with his, "Come, I'll walk you out..."

Severus studied her a moment, then allowed her to lead him. When he had switched out the sample Lucius had given him it was solely in an attempt to save Narcissa. Lucius had come to him, almost tearing his hair out in frustration. He and Narcissa had tried many times and had yet to conceive, he was at wit's end and came to Severus for help. What Lucius didn't know was that Severus had been supplying Narcissa with a contraceptive potion the entire time they were married. With everything that was going on, she was hoping Lucius would go and get himself killed before she conceived and she could finally live her life. But the Dark Lord decreed that all his married Pure Blood members immediately begin having children. Lucius was scared. He informed Severus, if there was something wrong with him, if it was his fault Narcissa had yet to conceive, he would find another way to get her pregnant. When Severus asked what he had planned his face had grown dark. Already a skilled Legilimens, Severus did a subtle read of his mind and was sickened by what he found. He couldn't let Lucius inflict that on his friend. So, when he found that Narcissa need not have taken a contraceptive in the first place as Lucius was shooting blanks and there was nothing he, Severus, could do to Lucius' sample to make it work... he used his own. Unfortunately, what Severus hadn't known, and thankfully neither did Lucius, was of the Black Family curse.

When Narcissa's older sister married Muggleborn Ted Tonks, their father cursed all three of his daughters. Any child sired by anything less than a Pure Blood would be an abomination as he felt that anything less than a pure blood witch or wizard deserved to live. The sisters, of course, never believed the curse, until Dora was born.

"I can't believe Lucius never figured it out," Severus laughed.

"He didn't know about the curse," Narcissa replied; "He believed me when I said it ran in the family..." she shook her head; "What he had planned if it didn't work... was it bad?"

"It makes what he had planned for Helen and her family sound tame," he replied grimly.

Narcissa paled, and nodded.

"I'm going to tell him," Narcissa said firmly; "He deserves to know he has a father he can be proud of..." they came to a stop in front of the Floo; "You're neck-deep in this, aren't you?"

"I'm no more than his nursemaid at the moment," Severus replied lightly. "I'm hoping to move him this weekend... my old family home," he grew a little sad; "Good and bad memories reside there, but it will be more comfortable than where we are now."

"The girls suggested I join the Order," Narcissa told him, curious as to what his reaction would be.

"It would be a difficult path," he said carefully, "but they could help keep you safe if you choose to return to Britain..."

"Jeffery Greengrass has offered to make me his second wife," she shook her head and laughed; "My father would be appalled at the idea..." she smiled; "But his offer is more than fair and it allows him to keep his decade long relationship with his own young man," she smiled again; "There's even a no fault clause to end the marriage... when this is all over..."

"You'll finally marry Helen..." he surmised and gave her a hug. "You deserve this happiness, Cissy, don't let it go again..."

Narcissa stepped back and searched his face.

"Sev... when this is over... I hope you'll find yours too?"

...

Draco was floating on his back in the lagoon, lost in thought at how much his life at changed in the last year. A year ago, he had exactly one friend... Pansy. There had never been anything romantic about their friendship, although they cared for each other deeply. They had talked about it once, the possibility of them getting married someday and agreed, if they found themselves betrothed they would marry each other instead. A back-up plan, so to speak.

He couldn't help but smile... what would his father think if he found out he now considered Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, Luna Lovegood and Fleur, his friends. He couldn't help but marvel at how easy it was to talk to them. When he and his mother had first joined them on the Beauxbatons carriage he had expected it to be awkward, but it wasn't long before he and his mother found themselves laughing with them. They had given him the chance to just be himself and had not treated him like the boy he had pretended to be for so long. He laughed, he could almost hear his father's rant.

Draco was content for the first time in his life. Finally he was able to live his life as he chose fit, and not because of his father. Because, whether it was getting grades just good enough not to get him in trouble or playing the Pure Blood prat that his father wanted him to be, every single decision he had made for the last four years was based on how his father would react. He sobered, if he now lived if his life in defiance of him... wasn't that just as bad?

Like it or not, whatever he did, his father would always be a part of his motivation. He smiled, "Fine," he thought; "If it motivates me to be my own person and do what I want to do because I want to do it... so be it..."

He heard splashing coming towards him and opened his eyes to discover the source.

"Hey Mr Deep Thoughts..." Ginny said, her tone joking; "We're having lunch on the beach..."

"You got your voice back," Draco commented, then blushed when he realized how obvious that was.

"We had a visitor this morning," Hermione explained, "C'mon..."

The three of them swam back to shore and joined Helen, Narcissa, Fleur and Luna, who were sitting around a picnic lunch. While they ate the girls couldn't help but wonder how Draco would take the news. When Narcissa returned from walking Severus to the Floo she had told them how Draco came to be conceived.

They knew he was a Metamorph almost the moment he was born, Draco's hair having changed three times before he settled on a colour. For the first four years of his life while Severus worked on a potion that would help the young boy remain in one form, Draco saw no one save his mother and father. All mirrors were removed from the manor until Severus arrived with the potions Draco would need to take for the rest of his life.

Narcissa and Lucius had sat in front of a mirror with Draco for many hours until the boy settled on a form that took traits from both his parents. After a few days, when it became obvious that the potion was working, Severus covered Draco's knowledge of his gift from him... minus the silencing fail-safe. Severus then provided Narcissa with the ability to remove the memory charm herself.

"Draco," Narcissa said, the first to break the comfortable silence.

He turned to his mother, smiled and waited for her to continue.

"What have you decided about going back to Hogwarts?" she asked.

"I think... I think I'd like to do it," he shrugged; "it could be fun... having friends and being myself for a change."

"I do like the person you really are, Draco..." Hermione said, teasing him slightly.

"It is more than that, though," he started, he didn't want the girls to think he wasn't taking things seriously; "I want to prove I'm nothing like my father..." Draco trailed off at the strange mix of expressions on those around him. The girls wore small smiles while his mother seemed very nervous.

"Draco," Narcissa started; "You do have a father you can be proud of... only his name isn't Lucius Malfoy..."

"What?" Draco said, shocked.

Luna went to sit down next to him and gently took his hand.

"Give your mother a chance to explain Draco," she said quietly.

He nodded, then looked back to his mother. For the next half hour, only Narcissa spoke. Draco sat, almost overwhelmed by the lengths Lucius Malfoy would go to. He couldn't help but feel relieved to find out that he wasn't his father. As his mother told her story, though, other pieces began to fall in place. Before she could come out and tell him, he had already come to the same conclusion.

Draco dropped his head at the end of her story, trying to understand all she had told him.

"So... I'm like Dora? I'm a Metamorph?" he asked, smiling.

"You are... the potions you have been on all your life has kept you in a form that is not your true form," Narcissa explained; "Ginny has offered to heal you of those potions..."

"Only if it won't hurt you," he replied as he looked to Ginny.

"Thanks for your concern, but I won't be using my gift, but giving you a blast of healing magic," she smiled; "It would be like being weaned off the potion but in a few minutes instead of weeks. When I'm done it should be like you're taking the last of the potions... I think it would be safer than just taking you off them in all one shot..."

"That is perfect timing," Narcissa smiled as she laced her fingers with Helen's; "We're planning on a trip to Paris next weekend..."

"Do some sightseeing and shopping..." continued Helen.

"Maybe go dancing?" Narcissa added to the girl's smiles; "But the only way I could convince the Delacours was if I secured an Auror presence."

"Nym?" asked Hermione hopefully, smiling broadly when Narcissa nodded.

"And she can spend some time with you Draco... help you with your gift," Luna offered, trying to cover for the large grins all the girls were wearing. They had missed Nym.

Draco grew quiet, and looked down at his hands.

"So... Severus Snape is really my father?" he asked quietly.

"He is Draco," Narcissa replied, "he's a good man and he cares for you..."

"But he's a Death Eater..." he said, his voice a little sad.

"He may bear Tom's mark, but Severus is no more a Death Eater than I am," Hermione said as she took his hand; "We've spent some time with him... he's a kind and brave man," Draco looked up and searched her eyes; "He joined them to protect the woman he loved, but he knew Tom would come back... he knew when that happened, he'd have a crucial part to play..." Hermione smiled; "I would go so far to say that I'm beginning to consider him a friend..." she sighed heavily; "But you understand why no one can know until this over, right?"

"Because He'd use me against him?" asked Draco.

"Or try to force you to join them," Ginny countered.

Draco nodded and looked down.

"I understand how you feel," Hermione said quietly, then looked to the others before she continued; "My father is Albus Dumbledore..."

"You'd be enemy number one," Draco gasped.

"Exactly," Hermione said with a smile; "And it is one of the reasons I fight... I want to tell the world he is my father... until Tom is dead, it's just one more reason for him to target me..."

Draco started laughing quietly, shaking his head as his laughter grew louder. He flopped onto his back, holding his stomach and rolling around.

"He's taking it better than I expected," Narcissa comment, bemused.

"I was just thinking," Draco finally said as he caught his breath; "That if Posh somehow manages to make it out of this war alive the knowledge that Hermione 'Mudblood' Granger is the daughter of Albus Dumbledore and my father is Severus Snape... he just might die of shock!"

"I look forward to seeing the look on his face," said Narcissa with a small chuckle of her own. "You're not angry with me? I only just figured it out myself..."

"Are you kidding?" Draco laughed; "It's a relief!"

He sat up and looked around at the women seated with him.

"I've gone from having a father I absolutely despise and two 'friends' who've been waiting to beat the piss out of me for four years to..." he smiled; "a father I want to make proud, four amazing new friends who have already protected me and my mother and a chance to go back to Hogwarts and be myself," he laughed; "And just as a nice bonus... I'm a Metamorph..." he got to his knees and went to kneel by his mother and Helen; "I understand why this was kept from me... I do... and I understand that I'm in just as much danger as Hermione is because of who my real father is," he smiled as he took her hands; "But until old mouldy shorts is burned to ash... none of us are safe," he looked down; "I've heard stories, of what is was like in Slytherin house last time... Nott, Goyle and Crabbe... they're all looking forward to it..."

"We're not going to let that happen," Hermione stated firmly.

Draco lifted his head and met Hermione's eyes, seeing the determination etched on all four girls' faces he smiled. "I know _we_ won't..." he looked back to his mother; "It's a lot to take in... I won't deny that... but it's good stuff," he hugged her; "For once I'm looking forward to going back to Hogwarts..."

"Even as a Hufflepuff?" teased Luna.

"Yes, even as... I understand the wisdom of it..." he replied, smiling as he went to sit again. "So... shall we get this healing over with?"

"We know there at least two memory charms in place," Hermione started as she went to sit beside him; "We'll take care of those and check for any others..."

"I doubt you'll find any others," he laughed; "I knew every single hiding place in Malfoy Manor..."

Ginny went to kneel behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"I'm going to see how much of the potion is left in your system," she looked to Narcissa and Helen; "You may have noticed you've all been feeling really healthy since you got here... I give off passive healing all the time unless I need it for myself," she looked back to Draco; "Chances are your potions are already wearing off..."

"I haven't felt any different," he replied.

"Well your father is an excellent potions master..." Hermione commented.

"And we've barely seen you for three days," Draco joked.

"Yes, well... shall we start?" Hermione said, blushing deeply as she went to kneel behind Ginny.

"We'll take care of the memory charms first, then I'll give you a blast of healing," Ginny explained as she watched Luna and Fleur come to see either side of him and take a hand each. "Everyone ready?" she asked, closing her eyes when everyone nodded. She left one hand on his shoulder and placed the other on the side of his head as she felt Luna's free hand on her thigh.

Hermione mimicked Ginny's actions, Fleur's free hand coming to rest on her thigh as well. She kissed Ginny's neck to let her know she was ready and floated into Draco's mind. True to his word, Hermione quickly located the two charms Severus had placed, she and Ginny quickly healing them.

Ginny started to focus her magic, willing it to leave enough of the potion in Draco's system so he would be able to adjust slowly to the changes his body would go through. With the amount of magic Ginny already had stored up from the last few days it was almost a relief to share some of it with him.

Ginny opened her eyes when she felt Draco start to shake, concerned something had gone wrong until she realized he was weeping. Without hesitating she sat forward and wrapped her arms around his middle as he wept, Luna, Fleur and Hermione all quick to join the impromptu hug.

Draco hardly noticed however, as the second memory his true father had covered came back to him. It was after Posh had beaten him, Severus thought he was asleep but Draco was listening. He had opened his eyes just long enough to see that the face of his mother's friend was wet with tears.

_ "Uncle Sev?" Draco had said quietly._

_ Severus had looked up in surprise._

_ "I'll be okay... there's no need to be sad," Draco assured him as he tried to sit up. The beating his father had given him was bad, but he was recovering._

_ "You're a good boy, Draco," Severus replied, his voice low and hoarse as he gently made Draco lay down again. "Your only job is to keep you and your mother safe... okay?"_

_ "Yes, sir," Draco replied._

_ "I'll do my best to help, but..." _

_ "Uncle Sev?" Draco interrupted; "I wish... sometimes... that you were my dad..."_

_ "I do too..." Severus had choked out before sobbing uncontrollably. Draco's memory had gone dark after that._

"I'm okay," he finally said aloud, patting Ginny's arm. "Hermione? How much did you see?"

"All of it," she admitted quietly. She hadn't meant to, but she had found herself unable to look away, so to speak. She also wanted to be able to comfort him if he needed it. "I'm sorry... I wanted to be able to help..."

"No... it's okay..." he assured her as the four girls released him from their arms. "What does my true form look like?" he asked his mother.

"Well, Severus did several things to his contribution... he made sure you'd be male so Posh would stop pestering me for an heir and he altered it so you would look mostly like me," Narcissa smiled; "You have your father's eyes though... it was actually quite lucky you were born a Metamorph as it was a simple explanation..."

"How do you feel, Draco, physically?" Ginny asked.

"Like I'm vibrating," he admitted.

"I suspect you'll get stronger, magically, because you'll no longer be fighting your true nature," Hermione told him.

"Cool..." he replied with a grin, as he shook his head; "You really changed my life... thanks!"

"I don't know if we changed it or just gave you back the life you should have had," Luna replied.

"But you're welcome," added Ginny.

...

After dinner the four girls and Draco wandered back out into the warm night air.

"Go for a run?" Hermione asked Ginny, receiving a large grin.

"If you can give me a few minutes to change..." Draco started, but trailed off as the girls laughed.

"I doubt you could keep up with us..." Hermione started as she transformed into her wolf much to his amazement.

"At least not on two feet..." added Ginny before she too changed.

Draco looked to Luna and Fleur, bemused as Luna's broom came flying into her hand.

"We prefer to fly," Fleur commented as her wings sprouted from her back.

"Speak for yourself," Luna said wryly as she mounted her broom, "I still don't like heights... but I like to keep her company while she practices..."

"What can't the four of you do?" Draco asked, thoroughly amused.

"We'll let you know when we find out," joked Fleur before taking to the air.

"She's beautiful..." Draco sighed.

"Don't get any ideas, _little brother_, _she's mine_," Luna growled, then took off in pursuit of her fiancee.

"Wouldn't dream of it..." he called after her. Smiling as he realized he meant it. The four girls had become his friends and had changed his life before they even knew the real him. As much as he cared for Pansy, these four were rapidly surpassing that friendship. They didn't just know everything about him, but they had trusted him with their truth as well. He smiled. He knew there were still hiding some stuff, but he also knew what they had shared was very personal.

High above Fleur had come to hover next to Luna on her broom.

"Why won't you let me take you flying?" Fleur asked.

"I still don't like heights," Luna retorted; "At least I'm in control on a broom..."

"I won't drop you," Fleur said earnestly, her hands crossed over her heart; "I promise..."

"Just give me some time..." Luna relented.

Fleur flew closer and softly kissed her.

"Whenever you're ready, love..." Fleur told her quietly, her voice a little deeper than usual.

"Explain, again, why we have to wait until after they have?" Luna asked, whining slightly.

"I don't know, it's just important..." Fleur replied with a shrug; "Besides... I think it's kind of romantic... waiting for our wedding night..."

"I guess..." Luna sighed, pouting slightly.

"It's our first time," Fleur said as she flew close again; "Is it so wrong I want it to be perfect?"

"Every time with you is perfect," Luna replied, shyly as she blushed.

Fleur smiled and wrapped her arms around Luna, slowly dragging them back to earth as they kissed. Unbeknownst to them, Hermione and Ginny were having a similar conversation in their favourite spot at the top of the waterfall. Luna and Fleur's favourite spot was about two hundred feet on the other side of the pool that fed the waterfall.

Hermione and Ginny had run through the jungle, the exhilaration and freedom of running in their wolf forms almost overwhelming their senses. Hermione was in the lead, Ginny pushing herself to try to pass her, when they reached the top of the waterfall, Hermione leapt into the pool, shifting back into herself as she broke the water. Ginny attempted the same feat, but mistimed it and hit the water as her wolf, shifting back into herself as she got her bearings.

Hermione was laughing as she banished both of their clothes to the shore, then pulled Ginny into her arms.

"You think you're so funny," teased Ginny.

"Not really," Hermione replied as she rested her head against Ginny's. "You'll get the hang of it love..."

"What makes you think I didn't do it on purpose?" Ginny joked as she pushed herself away from her fiancée and, her hips swinging seductively, went to lower herself into the hot spring fed hot tub about twenty feet away from a slightly stunned Hermione.

"Thirty more days..." Hermione muttered to herself as she swam over to join Ginny.

"What's that, love?" Ginny teased, her wolf hearing had heard every word.

"You know perfectly well what I said..." Hermione teased her back as she walked over to her slowly, Ginny grinning at the sight.

"Explain to me again why we're waiting until my birthday?" Ginny sighed as Hermione went to straddle her.

Hermione searched her eyes a moment and then kissed her softly.

"Maybe because I'd like to keep, at least, part of my promise..." she said softly.

"You'd have us wait another year?" Ginny asked.

"No... I couldn't if I tried," Hermione sighed, "Even if we weren't who we are... even if we hadn't aged... I think we wouldn't have been able to wait much longer..." she leaned forward and kissed her neck; "But it feels important... being at the cottage the first time..."

"Surely you don't think there is any dark objects here..."

"No," Hermione laughed quietly; "We only get one 'first time'... I want it to be perfect..."

"And without other motivations?" Ginny prodded.

"That too," Hermione sighed; "But also I don't want any restraints on our time..." her voice deepened slightly as Ginny's hands came to rest on her behind and she was pulled closer to the redhead. "You know what I missed most the last three days?" Hermione whispered in her ear, Ginny shaking her head slightly, goose bumps breaking out on her skin despite the warmth of the water they were sitting in. "Your sighs," she continued, kissing her softly below her ear, causing Ginny to sigh, then giggling when she realized Hermione had elicited exactly the response she was aiming for.

"You think you know me so well..." Ginny teased.

"Don't I?" Hermione countered, "Haven't we spent the last year getting to know every inch of each others' bodies? Save... maybe one..." she bit at Ginny's neck, causing her to gasp. "I've missed that too..." her voice deep as she continued; "And I missed your moans..." she trailed off as she both engaged Ginny in a deep kiss as she palmed her breast with a hand, Ginny moaning despite herself.

"Explain again why we're waiting until my birthday?" Ginny whined.

Hermione sat back despite Ginny's groan of protest.

"I want you... you know that I do," Hermione said, her voice serious despite the desire evident in every syllable; "But it feels important... that we be at the cottage..."

"I know..." Ginny sighed as she pulled Hermione close again.

"How about a Dreamwalk tonight?" asked Hermione, "One last time before we abstain until your birthday?"

"God... I... love... you..." Ginny said between kisses.

"C'mon..." Hermione said as she sat up and held her hand out to Ginny. "Let's go escape reality for a bit..."

"Reality's not so bad..." Ginny replied with a grin; "I rather enjoy it, in fact..."

"Even if our lives keep getting weirder..." Hermione joked as she gathered their clothes, then sent them to the far side of the lagoon. "Race you back..." Hermione called as she ran to the edge of the waterfall and jumped, performing a perfect swan dive into the pool below.

Ginny, not to be outdone, followed her... performing several flips on the way down and entering the water without a splash.

"Show off!" Hermione joked as she splashed her.

Ginny splashed her back, both looking to the shore when they heard their friends' laughter. They swam towards them, then dressed themselves as they wandered back to the château.

"Thank God it's only thirty-three more days..." joked Fleur as she put her arm around Luna's shoulders.

"Hermione was saying the same thing," Ginny said with a laugh.

"Could have been worse," Luna joked; "Could have been another year..."

**A/N: Hey folks, hope you enjoyed the chapter and thanks for all the reviews after the first chapter. To those few who don't get the whole Nym dynamic... it's part of the story now and it isn't going anywhere. I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not. I actually kind of love the dynamic she brings to the group... sorry for the rant! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3-Nym's Place

**WARNING! Much lemons, fluff and emotional stuff follows...**

The next week only contained one surprise, that of all three younger girls being able to Apparate on their first attempt. Lynne, Fleur's mother, had taken them outside to teach them, Fleur going first to reassure the other three that she was already capable of it. Luna closed her eyes and scanned for Fleur, smiling when she found her waiting in their favourite spot at the top of the waterfall, stepped forward and Disapparated to her.

Next Ginny and Hermione had looked to each other nervously.

"How many times have we gone by side-along?" Hermione reminded her.

"Lots..." Ginny said with a sigh.

"We won't go as far as they did... just to the edge of the lagoon, okay?" Hermione offered, stepped back and disappeared, Ginny clutching her heart for the briefest moment that it had ached when Hermione disappeared.

"It will get better once you have finished your bonding," Lynne told Ginny as she placed her hand on her shoulder.

"Really?" Ginny asked hopefully, as she looked to Fleur's mother.

"It will never go away completely," Lynne replied with a smile; "If she is taken by force or surprise... you'll know," she squeezed her shoulder; "But it's not all bad... it also means that you will always know where she is... no matter where she is, just concentrate on her on you'll Apparate to her side..."

_"You coming?" _Hermione's thought sounded in Ginny's head.

_"Yes..."_ Ginny thought back.

"Go on then, I'll explain more when you get back..." Lynne assured her.

Ginny took a deep breath, smiled and appeared next to Hermione a moment later.

"What did you just do?" Hermione asked.

"Apparated?" Ginny asked, thoroughly bemused by Hermione's reaction.

"No... you didn't..." Hermione said with a shake of her head, trying to explain what she had seen. "For one thing there was no pain over my heart when you vanished and it didn't look like Apparition..." she shook her head as she took Ginny's hand and led her towards the approaching Lynne. "It was almost like you Apparated like house elves do..."

"How did you do that?" Lynne asked when she was close enough.

"I was thinking about what you said," Ginny replied, shaking her head, "And I just thought about being next to Hermione and then, there I was..."

Lynne shook her head and laughed as the Sister's Spellbook came zooming from the Chateau and into Hermione's waiting hand. Lynne was still getting used to how easily the four girls wielded their magic. Then again, with the amount of surplus magic the four of them had, it shouldn't have come as much of a shock.

Hermione sat on the grass, her hand on the cover of the book as she concentrated on her question. When the book grew warm beneath her hand, she flipped through the pages until she found her answer, laughing quietly as she read. Ginny knelt beside her and read over her shoulder.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Ginny laughed.

"What?" asked Fleur, who had just returned with Luna.

"The Sisters taught house elves to Apparate," Hermione stated as she passed Fleur the book; "Only their magic is slightly different from ours..."

"How did you figure it out?" asked Luna.

"Because Ginny just did it," Hermione replied.

"When, exactly, did the four of you figure out how to manipulate your magic?" Lynne asked, a small smirk on her face.

"What do you mean?" asked Fleur, her innocence feigned.

"Ginny was worried about Apparating because of the pain you feel when you do," Lynne replied, slightly amused. "So she found a way around it..." she smiled, "The question is... how quickly can the rest of you learn to do the same?"

Hermione smiled as she took Ginny's hand and reached for Fleur's with her other. Luna smiled, handed the book to Fleur's mother and went to complete their circle. Closing their eyes, Ginny shared the ability of what she had just done.

When they opened their eyes, Hermione smiled; "Meet you at the top of the waterfall?" she asked before stepping backwards and disappearing with the trademark pop of a house elf.

Ginny smiled and disappeared with a pop as well, Fleur and Luna following right behind, leaving a thoroughly perplexed Lynne behind.

"Amazing..." was all she could say.

...

A few days later Hermione woke with the dawn, Nym would be coming today and the all too familiar nerves were already making themselves known. She always worried that Nym would have changed her mind, that all this was just too weird for her. She felt Ginny wake beside her and curled into her, her head on her shoulder.

Over the last few weeks they had talked a lot about Nym, Hermione sharing some of what Nym had told her about herself. After all they'd learned, each of the other three had felt their own love growing for the Metamorph.

Hermione kissed Ginny's shoulder, then worked her way up her neck and finally to her lips, kissing her mid yawn.

"Morning..." Ginny said, a small grin on her face; "Why are you so nervous?"

"The usual..." Hermione replied, her cheeks flushing slightly.

"No... it's more than that," Ginny corrected, a small frown on her face as she studied her fiancée's eyes.

"She's here..." Hermione said brightly having felt Nym as soon as she passed the château's wards, "We should surprise her for trying to surprise us..."

"What did you have in mind?" Ginny asked.

Hermione kissed her and shared what she had planned.

"Are you sure you're okay with that?" Ginny asked as she broke the kiss, "Me projecting to her?"

"I am, if she is," Hermione replied and put her head back on Ginny's shoulder; "I wouldn't have suggested it if I wasn't okay with it..." she frowned; "What is she waiting for?" she asked, they could both feel her just outside their door.

"She's nervous too..." Ginny whispered.

"Maybe we should give her a little encouragement?" Hermione suggested, their bedroom door opening slightly.

Nym, however, was standing outside the door, the butterflies in her stomach competing with the pounding of her heart. She felt terrible for having missed their engagement party. She hadn't been able to face it. Yes, she had entered into a relationship with Hermione with her eyes wide open, she knew Hermione would never be hers alone. That none of them, could ever be hers, nor did she want that. She loved Hermione all the more for the strength of her love for Ginny.

The problem was, if you could call it a problem, was that Nym was falling so very hard and so very fast for the bookworm. On those rare occasions that they'd been able to spend time alone, Hermione always made her feel like she was the only other person in the world. She had honestly doubted her ability to hide her feelings for her in front of their family and friends.

However, what was causing her pause was the letter she had received from Hermione a few days earlier. In it, she had explained how they felt it was important for Nym to start strengthening her bonds with the others. It was an idea that both excited her and scared the crap out of her. She was already often overwhelmed by her feelings for Hermione, what if she began falling just as hard for the others?

Nym had just raised her hand to open then door when it creaked open of its own accord. She smiled and shook her head, of course they knew she was there, she thought as she pushed the door the rest of the way open. She found herself momentarily stunned by the beauty of the scene in front of her; Ginny lay on her back, Hermione appeared to be asleep on her shoulder, her naked body draped over the equally naked redhead. Ginny stretched her free hand out to her and motioned her forward, or least that was what Nym thought she was doing until she felt the bottom of her t-shirt move.

Nym dropped her bag to the ground, then removed both her t-shirt and Goblin vest as she approached the bed. She took Ginny's hand and was taken off guard as she was pulled forcefully to her side. Ginny pulled her by the nape of the neck and into a very deep kiss. A kiss she maintained as she rolled on top of, and then over Nym, coming to rest on her other side, Hermione quickly taking Ginny's place.

"Do you want us to stop?" Hermione whispered in her ear.

Nym was unable to respond as she was overcome by desire.

Hermione laughed, and gently pushed Ginny away; "Stop... let her think a minute..." she then leaned forward and kissed Nym softly; "We've missed you... let us show you how much?"

Nym nodded and pulled Hermione back for another kiss, moaning when she felt a hand on each of her breasts.

"I can do something with my gift..." Ginny whispered in her ear, then changed places with Hermione, kissing Nym as Hermione went to whisper in her other ear.

"It actually feels like she's touching me," Hermione continued, the hand she had been using to play with Nym's nipple slowly making its way down her body; "And I can do this..." she said as her hand made its way between her legs, rubbing her through her jeans, Nym arching into her touch.

Hermione stilled her hand and leaned back to study Nym's lust filled eyes.

"Want us to stop?" she asked, her voice deep and hoarse.

Nym was unable to respond, so shook her head, as Ginny had taken a nipple into her mouth.

"More..." Nym hissed as she felt Ginny's hand come to rest on her inner thigh, her senses almost in overload as she felt as though there was fingers entering her and Hermione began moving her hand in time with the phantom fingers. She pulled Hermione to her, kissing her deeply as she gave into the sensations running through her body. She was vaguely aware of Ginny's hand moving then, as both younger women pressed themselves into her hips, she realized that Ginny was projecting to all three of them. As her climax began to build she lost track of who she was kissing or whose hands were where, she was just a big ball of sexual energy.

In the end, all that it took to break her, was Ginny climbing on top of her and pressing her leg into the hand that Hermione was using as Hermione bit into her neck. As she reached the peak of her climax, her whole body shaking and feeling like it was on fire, everything went black.

_"I think we broke her," said a voice softly._

_ "No, she's breathing..." said a slightly accented voice, causing her to open her eyes._

_ "Hey... are you okay?" asked the first voice, drawing her attention, the speaker resembling Hermione with obvious differences... only the eyes were familiar._

_ "Maybe it was too much? For the first time?" asked the other voice, Nym turning her head to find herself looking into the eyes of a pure Veela._

"Nym?" Hermione said anxiously.

"I'm okay," Nym mumbled.

"Oh, thank God, I thought we broke you..." Ginny teased as she put her head down on Nym's shoulder.

"I forgot to breath," Nym joked, then kissed Hermione's forehead, "I just... I think I just remembered a memory of the first time we were together... only Fleur was with us..."

"We've long suspected that the three of us shared something," Hermione replied with a grin; "We didn't? Did we? Rush you?"

"Did you at least talk before you jumped her?" Luna joked as she came to sit beside the three heavily breathing women.

"A little," Ginny replied with a blush as she sat up and kissed Luna on the cheek; "How much did you guys watch?"

"We caught the grand finale," joked Fleur as she sat beside Hermione then kissed her neck.

"We didn't, did we? Rush you?" Hermione repeated, as she studied Nym's eyes, suddenly concerned that they hadn't given Nym enough time to consider what was happening.

"If I hadn't gotten your letter a few days ago... maybe," Nym replied as she stroked Hermione's cheek tenderly; "It's okay... I understand why the three of us needed this... why I needed it..." she smiled.

"Because actions speak louder than words?" asked Ginny.

"Exactly... if I had any doubts before I walked through that door how either of you feel for me... it's gone now..." Nym sat up and took each of their hands, "I've always been attracted to all of you... I mean, have you seen you?" she teased, causing all four to giggle and blush. "And I could understand one of you wanting to be with me... but all of you?"

"I think, in time, you'll be equally involved with all of us, but we understand why you chose to be with Hermione first," started Luna.

"Not just because of the connection you share, but as a way into what we have," Fleur continued.

"But with what's coming... the best way we have to keep you safe," added Ginny.

"Is to have you connected to all of us," Hermione said and smiled; "But it's not just about that..."

"We can feel your pain and confusion," Luna said softly.

"But we do love you, Nym," Ginny said as she squeezed her hand.

"The physical aspect of the relationship we share is an extension of our friendship and love for each other," Hermione said as she stared into Nym's eyes; "Sometimes I think 'love' isn't a big enough word to describe what I feel for all of you..." she said as she looked around at all of them; "We're not normal... I'm okay with that..." they all laughed; "We can no more choose who we love than we can choose the gender we're attracted to... but we choose to do what makes us happy," she smiled and kissed Nym softly. "I have loved the time we've spent together, but it was selfish of me not to share you..." she put her finger over Nym's lips as she went to interrupt her; "No love... I can't be all that you need... none of us can because our hearts already belong to someone else..."

"But we can share our hearts... and our love with you..." continued Ginny.

"And it was selfish of you," teased Luna, trying to lighten the mood; "to deny us the opportunity to get to know her too..."

"Yes, it was," Hermione agreed with a smile then kissed Luna's cheek.

"If it's okay with you," Fleur said, smiling warmly.

"We were thinking..." continued Luna.

"That tonight you spend with just Hermione and I," Ginny provided.

"Then tomorrow night with me and Luna," continued Fleur.

"Don't worry," Luna rushed to assure her, "We just want to get to know you better..."

"And we thought we'd all spend the last night with you," finished Hermione.

Nym looked at each of them, identical looks of love on each of their faces.

"I'm a very lucky girl," she sighed, "And I feel, I don't know, honoured? That you want me to be a part of what you have..."

"We'll take it slow, Nym," started Hermione.

"And we'll understand if you still want your 'first time' to be alone with Hermione," Ginny added.

"Really?" Nym asked uncertainly.

"We should all have a first time alone with each other before we're all together at once," clarified Luna.

"Make each of our bonds as strong as possible," Hermione added thoughtfully, then looked to Ginny; "We should take a shower before breakfast," she looked to Nym; "And you, love," she kissed her softly; "might want to change your jeans... you have three wet spots..." she whispered.

Nym groaned and flopped back to the bed.

Ginny leaned down and kissed her stomach, before taking Hermione's hand and let her lead from the bed and towards the bathroom.

"You okay?" Luna asked.

"Ginny hasn't projected to you, has she?" Nym asked.

"No... we didn't feel right about it because we haven't gone that far with each other," Fleur replied.

"Well ,you're missing out," Nym propped herself up on her elbows; "I can certainly understand how those two have managed..."

Luna scanned the bathroom, smirked, then looked to Fleur.

"It's early today," she commented.

"What?" asked Nym.

"At least once a day we wonder how they've managed to wait this long..." Luna explained.

"You mean... they haven't yet?" Nym asked.

"Neither have we... only in our Dreamwalks..." Fleur replied.

"We feel it's important to wait until after they have," Luna added.

"And they want to be at the cottage," Fleur concluded.

"If I were you two," Nym laughed as she laid back on the bed; "I'd be doing everything I could to get them together already..."

"Like they need our help," Luna laughed.

"It's worse right now, for them," Fleur said, her tone serious, then for Nym's sake, explained; "Every time we spend time apart and with someone else," she shook her head, blushing slightly; "It's like our baser needs take over... logically I know Luna would never leave me... but in that moment, when we're back together, it's all about reassuring each other of that..."

"So right now it's twice as bad for them because they were both with me?" asked Nym, receiving Fleur's nod; "Will it get better once they've bonded?"

"Maybe... but it's also a magical thing," Luna replied, "for us, sharing our love means sharing our magic with you... our magic compels us to continually re-establish our bond..."

"I just thought it was the black-out orgasm that has me vibrating," Nym said with a laugh.

"No... and it wasn't because you forgot to breath that caused you to black out... you had an overdose of their magic..." Luna clarified.

"Which is probably why I had that memory," Nym surmised, she sat up again and stroked Fleur's cheek softly; "I know it was you and Hermione, but... you didn't really look like you," she smiled; "The eyes were the same, though... Merlin, you have beautiful eyes..."

"Maybe you should put your shirt back on?" Fleur said, her voice low.

Nym felt a hand run lightly down her back and looked to Luna and found an interesting look of love and desire on her face.

"You're making it difficult for us not to act on what we're feeling," Luna said softly, her voice barely betraying her want as she placed a soft kiss on Nym's shoulder.

"And we really want you to know it's about so much more than that," added Fleur, drawing her attention back to her, Nym's t-shirt and vest already in her hand.

"We also don't want to overwhelm you," Luna said with a small smile; "What Hermione and Ginny did... while I certainly understand their motivation..." she said as she watched Nym slip her Goblin vest over her head; "was risky... they could've just as easily sent you running out the door..."

Nym slipped her shirt over head, then looked to Luna.

"No... I needed that," she smiled and blushed; "Sometimes... I get too inside my head," she shook her head, then smiled; "They asked... they made sure I was okay..." she sighed; "Just wish I'd had the chance to reciprocate more..."

"Why do you think they get the first night?" teased Fleur.

...

By the time Ginny and Hermione reached the bathroom they were both almost overcome by the scent of each others' desire. They kissed tenderly despite their ardour, Hermione the first to pull away.

"I need to pee..." she giggled, remembering another time she had said the same words.

"Meet you in the shower..." Ginny responded, playfully smacking her behind before walking away. She turned the water on and, as the warm water washed over her, relieved herself. She magicked away the evidence, then reached for the soap to wash between her legs before Hermione joined her. She was just rinsing away the soap as she felt a pair of strong arms encircle her from behind.

"Starting without me?" Hermione asked with a low chuckle, a hand making its way to rest over Ginny's, moving it in time with her.

Ginny moaned, then turned in her arms, pushing her up against the shower wall, biting Hermione's neck and projecting to her at the same time. She only thrusted a few times before Hermione pushed her forcefully against the other wall. Slowly things down and kissing her way to Ginny's ear.

"Can you make me feel what you feel?" she whispered, hoping she wouldn't have to be more specific, sighing went she felt Ginny nod, then wrap her legs around her waist. Hermione groaned as Ginny started projecting again, only it was a whole new sensation she was feeling... that of feeling like a part of her was inside her mate, moving inside her and making her feel good. It was intoxicating and Hermione soon found herself crying out loud as Ginny bit into her neck.

"Harder..." Ginny gasped, Hermione quick to comply.

Ginny reached down and grabbed her behind, digging her nails in slightly, urging Hermione on.

"Take me... make me yours..." Ginny moaned.

Hermione grabbed a breast roughly, squeezing her nipple between her fingers and causing Ginny to squirm in a most delightful way. She began biting her way to her lips, forcing her tongue into Ginny's mouth as the nails of her free hand dug into Ginny's butt.

"Oh... God... yes!" Ginny screamed, her body going rigid before shaking uncontrollably.

Ginny's climax triggered Hermione's and she found herself fighting to keep them both from falling to their knees as they buckled beneath her. Ginny seemed to sense her dilemma and lowered her still shaking legs to the ground before gently lowering them both to sit against the wall.

She pulled Hermione into her arms as they both rode out the aftershocks of their orgasms, Ginny rubbing her back and holding her close. Hermione slowly started to relax in her arms, sighing as she looked up and met Ginny's eyes.

"I understand, now, why you like that so much..." Hermione said as she traced Ginny's jaw with her finger.

"And I understand why you needed that..." Ginny prodded gently.

"I..."

"You were nervous before Nym came in," she smiled and kissed her softly; "but it was different from before... I'm not sure what you were more afraid of..." she kissed her again; "losing her... or losing me to her..." she stared in her eyes a moment; "She could be the most amazing lover and she could never rival what I feel when I'm with you... no one can..."

"I know..." Hermione said softly, and looked down.

"Do you?" Ginny asked, lifting her chin with a finger; "You don't think I feel it every time I came back from spending time with Luna? You've always been jealous of our connection..."

"More like afraid," Hermione admitted, she sighed and kissed her softly. "But I know, Shy, you are all I need... all I've ever needed..."

"And I feel the same," Ginny reminded her; "All these other connections? Yes, they're nice... they're exciting... and we're incredibly blessed to be able to enjoy them with people we trust... but I don't need them as much as I need you..."

"I look forward to the day when it's just you and I," Hermione sighed, kissed her, then went to stand; "They'll always be a part of our lives... Luna, Fleur and Nym... we've been through too much together not to be..." she continued as she helped Ginny to stand; "And as much as I know that I'll look forward to those rare times in the future when we can be with them physically... I'm really going to enjoy not sharing you anymore..."

"Me too..." Ginny replied with a smile, "You feel better?"

"I do..." she smiled; "That's one thing only we'll be sharing... 'I do's'."

"You know," Ginny started, as she reached for the shampoo, turning Hermione so she could wash her hair; "I think that's when I really, fully, accepted Nym..." she kissed her shoulder; "I mean who does that? Gives the woman they're in love with a pep talk to go talk to their mate's mother into marrying someone else?"

Hermione turned and stood under the shower to rinse the shampoo from her hair.

"It's because we really are friends first," Hermione replied with a shrug before turning Ginny so she could wash her hair; "We want each other to be happy... marrying you makes me ecstatic..."

When Ginny turned and stepped under the water to rinse her hair she wore a pensive smile.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"You and Nym share something different than what she shares with the rest of us," Ginny started; "Maybe you always will... I want you to know I'm okay with that..."

"And I'm okay with the special connection you'll always share with Luna," Hermione replied and kissed her forehead.

"And you and Fleur," Ginny teased.

"We really are lucky, Shy..." she kissed her then started to wash her body; "Not only do we have each other, but we have three incredibly sexy best friends..." she kissed her then turned her to wash her back; "we might have skipped five years, but the time we have had has been full..."

"Pity it's equally full of crap though," Ginny joked as they switched places.

"True..." Hermione laughed; "Doesn't seem to stink as bad when I'm holding you at the end of the day..."

Hermione's incredibly sweet comment earned her being pushed up against the wall and kissed passionately. "I love you..." Ginny sighed.

"I am yours... today... tomorrow... forever..." Hermione replied and kissed her softly; "I love you..." Ginny interrupted her with a kiss, Hermione finally pulling away a few minutes later with a sigh. "We don't have time for this..."

"I know..." Ginny moaned and stepped away, Hermione watching hungrily as she watched Ginny use the soap to wash between her legs before handing it to her to do the same. She bit her lip as Hermione put the soap aside and stepped back under the water as she rinsed herself, Ginny unconsciously having been playing with herself the whole time. "What's a few more minutes?" she said huskily as she pushed Hermione back into the wall again.

Ginny kept touching herself while she put her free hand over the one Hermione was using to pleasure herself, almost coming when she felt Hermione do the same. They kissed softly, slowing the building climax they were already on the brink of, both of them shuddering and gasping at the same time. Even as they continued to tremble they brought their fingers to each others' mouth and licked them clean, never once breaking eye contact. Hermione pulled her back for a kiss, then broke it when she started to giggle; "You realize we have to wash all over again?"

...

When Hermione and Ginny finally exited the bathroom they found Nym, Fleur and Luna much in the same place they had left them only now Nym wore her shirt and had a pair of jeans in her hands. She leapt from the bed, briefly kissed Hermione and Ginny then dashed off the washroom.

"How's she doing?" Ginny asked as she and Hermione got dressed.

"Better..." Luna replied.

"Less guilty?" Hermione asked hopefully.

"Much," Luna replied as she scanned Hermione; "And so are you..."

"I love you all, you know that, but... I kind of liked having someone outside of all this that was just mine... I _was_ being selfish..." Hermione admitted.

Ginny went to stand in front of her, taking her hands and searching her eyes. She waited until Nym returned from the washroom, but held her magically in place just outside the door. She wanted Nym to hear this, but she didn't want to Hermione to know she was listening. Nym smiled and nodded, Ginny releasing her hold.

"Listen to me," Ginny started, her voice determined; "You know that I love you and plan to spend the rest of my life with you," she smiled crookedly; "But I'm a realist," she kissed Hermione softly as she was about to interrupt. "We have to be honest... how many times have you and I almost died already?"

"Too many," Hermione replied, her eyes already swimming with tears.

"Promise me... if something happens to me," Ginny swallowed, her resolve almost failing, as Hermione's tears began to fall; "Promise me you'll go on... build a life with Nym... be happy..."

"I can't promise you that," Hermione said as Ginny wiped away her tears; "If something happened to you," she sobbed softly at the thought; "I'd live on, but a part... a really big part... would die along with you..."

"Then promise you'll try..." Ginny countered.

Hermione nodded and pulled Ginny into her arms as she felt a pair of arms encircle her from behind.

"Not going to happen," Nym said softly; "I'm going to do everything I can to make sure you all grow old and grey together..." she kissed Hermione on the cheek then met Ginny's eyes; "Got it?"

"No... _you_ don't get it," Ginny said, swallowing hard in an attempt to stem her own tears; "Me dying doesn't stop me from loving you and wanting you to be happy," she took Hermione's face in her hands; "It gives me great comfort, no matter how scared I get, if the unthinkable happens... you'll be taken care of..." she leaned her forehead against Hermione's; "I should feel threatened by what you feel for Nym... maybe, at first, I was..." she leaned back so she could seem Nym as well; "but I know, no matter what happens, you'll be happy..." she kissed her softly; "But we're going to do everything possible to see we have the future we're fighting for... got it?"

"We all are," Luna added as she came to stand next to Ginny, placing her hand on her arm and smiling.

"Our love for each other is why we'll succeed," Fleur added.

"We'll do anything to protect each other," agreed Hermione.

"Anything," agreed Nym.

"For better, for worse..." Ginny started.

"Forever..." Hermione provided with a smile.

**A/N: So, as you may have guessed this chapter is partially in response to all the crap I've been getting for Nym's involvement. I hope this answers some questions and maybe, just maybe, eases your fears a little. This was always what I had planned for the five of them I guess it was high time to share it with the rest of you. The next two chapters, (at least), will have a lot of Nym, as they visit Paris, but we'll be into he book content shortly after that... hope you enjoyed the chapter! Till next time...**


	4. Chapter 4-War on Hold

**A/N: Hey folks, sorry for the wait and any mistakes I might have missed... enjoy!**

The five witches sat around catching up for a bit, until Nym handed Hermione a thick scroll. Holding it so both she and Ginny could read it the others began to laugh as their eyes grew bigger and bigger. Gringott had asked Nym to deliver the inventory list from their joint main vault.

"This number... it can't possibly be right..." Hermione said in an awed voice, not only was it in the hundreds of millions, it had the word 'estimated' added.

"Show you a memory?" offered Nym.

The five stood and went to form their circle; Hermione took both Nym and Ginny's hand, Fleur taking Nym's other hand with Luna on her other side holding Ginny's free hand. They all closed their eyes, Nym squeezing her hand when she was ready to share.

The four younger witches were shocked at her memory: a hall, easily twice the size of the Great Hall, (it was difficult to say as they couldn't really see the back wall as it was obscured by gold), filled, almost floor to ceiling and about two-thirds the length of the vault, with gold. As Nym turned they saw the rest of the space was filled with various magical artifacts, books and weapons.

"And there's more, even, than that," Nym informed them as they opened their eyes. She shook her head and laughed; "Gringott was telling me stuff just keeps appearing and disappearing..."

"Were the Goblins gathering our things or were they given them to protect?" Hermione asked.

"No," Fleur laughed, they hadn't yet reached the part in the journals that described some of the Sisters' plans for the future; "They hid them all over Europe, maybe further, they charmed them to go to a safe place if there was ever a danger of them being found or destroyed."

"How long did they live on after Fabiana and Fania died?" Ginny asked.

"It's difficult to say... I'm starting to think, though, that Fleur lived on for a much longer time..." Fleur said, her finger coming to rest on a particular item on the parchment she had picked up.

"They had a Philosopher's Stone..." Hermione said; "But look at the date... June fifth, nineteen ninety-two... dear-old-dad didn't destroy it..." she looked up from the parchment fearfully; " It's Flemel's stone... no one can know we have it..." Hermione trailed off as there was a knock on the door.

She rolled up the scroll as the door opened and a small blond blur squealed, "Fleur!" and ran into her arms.

" 'Allo ma belle..." Fleur said, laughing as she hugged her little sister; "I have missed you too..." she pushed her away gently; "Would you like to meet my friends?"

Gabrielle nodded and looked to the others.

"But... they look just like them..." Gabrielle said quietly in French, frowning when she looked to Nym; "I don't know you..."

"You don't really know any of them," Fleur teased. She reached for Luna's hand; "This is my fiancée, Luna."

Gabrielle studied Luna a moment.

"You love her?" she asked in heavily accented English.

"I do," Luna replied in French; "More with every day..."

Gabrielle smiled but she wasn't done with her questions, "You'll do everything you can to protect her?" she asked in French.

"Always..." Luna replied.

Gabrielle smiled, nodded, then gave her a fierce hug.

"And you?" Gabrielle asked as she looked to Hermione, Ginny and Nym.

"My name's Nym," Nym offered in French, surprising her friends, "Don't look at me... I just figured out I could..." she said, switching back to English.

"I must have passed you the ability at some point," Hermione said, with a small laugh; "I'm Hermione and this is my fiancée, Ginny."

"Nice to meet you..." Ginny offered as she extended her hand.

"I know your names," Gabrielle said with a small laugh; "I meant... will you protect my sister?"

"They already have, chere..." Fleur replied with a smile, "Ginny literally saved my life a few months ago..." she looked to the others and then back to her sister; "and they make every day worth living..."

"Well..." Gabrielle said, eyeing the girls before looking back to Fleur; "I guess you can go back to Britain then..."

"Well... thank you..." Fleur replied with a laugh as she hugged her sister again, "Come... we should get down to breakfast... tell me about your visit with our Veela cousins..."

Gabrielle took Fleur's hand, leading her and Luna towards the door as she launched into a rapid diatribe in French about her cousins and grandparents. What Fleur's little sister didn't know was that it had been at Fleur's suggestion she went to their relatives. She had worried that Gabrielle wouldn't give them a moment alone and would spend the entire time trying to convince her not to leave France.

"Nym?" Hermione said quietly as they also made for the door; "You okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Nym teased as she put her arm around Hermione's shoulders.

"I was worried we should have talked..." Hermione supplied.

"No, love," Nym said as she kissed her temple; "like I told Fleur and Luna... that was exactly what I needed, I get too inside my head sometimes," she laughed; "and you knew that because you did the same thing last time..."

"So Hermione has a habit of jumping you?" joked Ginny, Hermione's already blushing face growing even redder.

"Just the last time," Nym replied with a wink, "but I think that's why you knew it was the right thing to do this time..."

"But last time was partly because I wasn't sure when I'd see you again," Hermione clarified quietly.

"Will we still get a chance, from time to time, to spend time alone?" Nym asked, looking to Hermione.

"Of course you will," Ginny replied to Nym's surprise; "We all have different connections with each other and we've been spending time strengthening each... me with Fleur and Hermione with Luna... we're trying to make all our bonds equally as strong..."

"So does that mean I'll be spending time with each of you alone?" Nym asked.

"As time allows..." Hermione replied.

"And are you okay with that Hermione?" Nym asked.

"I don't know that I have an answer for that," Hermione replied with a shrug; "I think," she frowned; "I'll get over it and be okay with it..."

"You're worried I'll want to spend more time with someone other than you?" Nym asked.

"Yes," Hermione admitted, but stopped to look at both Nym and Ginny; "But I shouldn't be... I'm your friend first... we're all friends first... I want you to be happy," she took Nym's hand; "I already know I'll have to let you go someday, I'm already dreading it..."

"We all are," Ginny added.

"But your happiness is what matters to me most," Hermione concluded.

"I think," Nym said thoughtfully; "that I'll always have a primary connection to you," she said as she squeezed Hermione's hand; "but it's better for all of us if I don't come to rely on you alone."

"You have got to be kidding me," Draco said as he walked up behind them.

"Hey cuz'," Nym said as she went to give him a hug; "How are you feeling?"

"A little jealous at the moment," he joked; "I had a feeling something was going on between the four of you... but my cousin too?"

"It's complicated..." Nym replied.

"It doesn't matter," he joked; "They're happy and have all been lighting up when your name is mentioned... who am I to judge?"

"You keep managing to surprise me, Draco..." Hermione said warmly.

"Come on, let's go have breakfast so me and Draco can have a chat before we leave for Paris," Nym said as she started walking again.

"You already know?" he asked.

"Yeah," Nym said with a smile; "Aunt Cissy told me when she wrote to request me as an Auror presence..." she looked at him carefully for a moment; "You don't look any different..."

"I'll check you after breakfast," Ginny offered; "Make sure all the potion is out of your system..."

"You might want to give him a general boost of healing as well," Nym suggested as they entered the dining room; "I've used the potions he's on... I was on them for a few weeks while I doing a mission," she shook her head; "My hair has a bad habit of reflecting how I feel..." she looked at Draco as she sat and frowned; "I have no idea how being on the potion this long has affected you..."

"I'm feeling better," Draco replied with a shrug; "just sort of, better all over..."

"I had a chat with your father," Nym supplied and to their surprise, laughed; "I stayed behind after the last order meeting to talk to Albus," she shook her head; "I was on my way out when I heard Remus and Sirius laughing... but I could hear a third person... imagine my surprise when I found it was Severus... he was telling them Junior put a spell on the two of them..." she laughed; "They told him Junior would have had more success if he had targeted Peter instead as he was already infatuated with James...

"Anyways... he told me, that with Ginny's healing, there shouldn't be any lingering effects," she smiled; "You just need to remember how to use your ability..."

"Pity Jeff is a Pure Blood," commented Helen, "Would've been nice to have another Metamorph in the family..."

"There was no guarantee that Draco would be a Metamorph," Cissy said grimly; "the curse my father placed on us... it wasn't that specific..."

"So I could have been born a monster?" Draco asked, horrified.

"I don't think so," Hermione said, her tone pensive; "Something we've learned in the last year is the importance of intent..." she smiled as she looked to Nym beside her then back to Draco; "Magic is neutral, it is how one uses it that determines whether it is light or dark..."

"So, because Severus intervened with good intentions, the 'curse' turned positive?" Nym asked.

"Yes... and you were conceived from the love of your parents," Hermione replied and kissed her blushing cheek.

"They're really fun to watch, aren't they? The way they puzzle things out..." Helen said, almost awed.

"We've heard that before," Ginny said with a small laugh.

"I'm not surprised," Cissy said with a smile, she'd grown quite fond of the four. "You get used to it after a while..." she laughed; "You should hear them when they think no one is listening... finishing each others' sentences..." Cissy trailed off when she noticed the girls looking worried; "You needn't be concerned... I only listened long enough to know it was something I shouldn't be hearing, but... may I ask... do you really believe you are these four ancient witches returned?"

The girls sat stunned, unable to respond.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop," Cissy said, blushing; "But it really is fascinating to hear you talk..."

"What we're about to tell you can not leave this room," Hermione said, her tone serious. She looked to Lynne, "Maybe Gabriel shouldn't be here for this?"

"She grew up on stories of the Sisters and has never once spoken of it outside of people who already know," Lynne replied, smiling at her youngest daughter with pride. "But, perhaps Draco should leave?"

"I'll take whatever oath you need me to," he offered.

Hermione considered him a moment. She knew she could trust him, but she worried what would happen were he captured. An oath would prevent him from talking, but it could also cost him his life.

"Understand, Draco... this is very dangerous information... you could be killed for it..." Hermione stated evenly.

"Not to mention there are very few outside of a very tight circle of trusted that know the whole truth," Ginny added; "Harry doesn't even know this much..."

Draco looked to Nym and asked; "And you're involved too? That's why it's complicated?" he shook his head; "No... you know what? I already know too much, and frankly, I'm not comfortable knowing more than Harry does..." he said as he loaded up his plate, then looked to Nym; "Care to join me?"

"Sure..." she replied as she also filled her plate.

"I'll go with you," offered Ginny.

"Me too," Luna added, "Maybe you and I can go for a walk after you've checked Draco?"

"Sounds good," Ginny replied with a smile.

Ginny and Luna gave their fiancées a kiss on the cheek before leaving.

For the next little while only Fleur and Hermione spoke, the look of awe on both Helen and Narcissa's faces quite plain. They didn't, however, tell them anything about the Goblin involvement nor any of the other magical creatures they already considered their allies. That was one surprise they intended to keep for as long as possible. Lastly, they didn't include talk of the Seven or of Nym's role.

"But what I don't understand, Fleur, is how come you haven't aged?" asked Helen.

"I have," Fleur corrected; "usually around my age a full Veela's development slows and so does their ageing..." she smiled at their dawning comprehension. "But I have just enough Veela blood to slow my ageing to that of a full human."

"How many people know this?" Cissy asked shrewdly.

"Not many outside those directly involved," Hermione sighed, Fleur taking her hand in support; "Harry knows very little..."

"I can understand that," Cissy said; "He is the most vulnerable to attack," she frowned at Hermione; "but it's more than that... isn't it?"

"It is, but I can't tell you..." Hermione replied.

"And you believe your gifts are more developed than your ancient counterparts?" Helen asked.

"They are," Lynne replied; "I know the journals by heart," she shook her head and smiled; "They may have the same souls, but they are far more advanced than the Sisters could ever hope to be..."

"But that is partially because Magical knowledge has come so far since they were around..." Hermione replied, blushing slightly.

"True," Lynne smiled; "However, you, Hermione, possess another rare gift and it is that gift that has allowed all four of you to advance so far..."

"But are you not more magically powerful than they were too?" asked Helen.

"Yes and we believe it has to do with the Soulmate bond we have," Fleur replied.

"And Fleur," Hermione said fondly, lacing her finger's with hers; "Because she is only part Veela she is able to love the others in the coven more... the bonds between all of us are stronger."

"It is also the order in which we have bonded and how young Hermione and Ginny were when they started bonding," Fleur added.

"I can't help but appreciate the irony," Cissy commented; "Your coven is stronger due to your love for each other.."

"While Tommy and his minions run on hate," finished Helen.

"Exactly," said Hermione; "He will underestimate us time and again, to his own detriment... due to our gender, blood status or age..."

"You're hoping, by the time he figures it out, it will be too late?" Cissy asked.

"Yes, and that is why this information is so dangerous," Fleur added.

"Don't worry," Cissy replied; "I won't be leaving the Greengrass estate much when we return to Britain..."

"I hope you and Draco will be coming to our wedding?" asked Fleur.

"I don't know..."

"It would be a good chance for those in the Order to get to know you," suggested Hermione; "And for Draco, Harry and Morgan to spend a little time together..."

"I'll think about it," Cissy replied.

"Is that why you suggested the Paris trip?" asked Fleur.

"Because you won't be leaving the house much?" clarified Hermione.

"We'll be safe enough in Paris. No one knows we're here," Cissy replied with a smile; "I'd also like the four of you to consider it a 'thank you' for all you've done for Draco and me," she laced her finger's with Helen's; "We've seen how focused and worried the four of you are... you deserve a chance to forget about it for a few days."

"That's easier said than done," Hermione said with a sigh; "every time we look for answers we only find more questions..." she rubbed her face; "The Sisters' journals," she shook her head as she met Cissy's eyes again; "we may have their souls, but we have something they didn't have..." she laced her fingers with Fleur's again; "More allies than we thought possible and a deeper sense of right and wrong... we see the grey that they couldn't..."

"They couldn't afford to," countered Lynne; "You must understand, the time they lived in was more brutal... it was killed or be killed..."

"I don't see how now is any different," Hermione commented wryly; "we kill Tom or he kills us..."

"The difference is _you_," Lynne commented; "_you_ are not only working to see he is defeated, you are doing it in such a way that you'll use him as a catalyst to improve the lives of all of us... _you_, however, could never stoop to his level... _you_ use your gifts responsibly..." she laughed lightly; "and _you_ fear your power... that, along with your love for each other, is what will keep you in check... you will win this war through love and only use as much force as is necessary to protect yourselves and those you care about..."

"I just want it all to be over," Hermione admitted; "We're in a state of limbo at the moment and I hate it," she shook her head and looked down; "We can plan and prepare, but we have no idea how this all this will end..." when she looked up again there was a new determination about her; "My only goal is to see that he doesn't cause the same damage as last time," she smiled; "And maybe make him suffer for all the pain he's already caused along the way..."

...

As Nym, Draco, Ginny and Luna walked outside to the patio table out behind the Chateau, Draco couldn't help but notice that Ginny and Luna were holding hands.

"So how does all that work... the relationship between all of you?" he asked; "Is there no jealousy?"

"Sometimes," Luna said with a smile; "but it is generally short-lived as we know there is no reason for it..."

"We also talk things out," Ginny amended; "Being who we are, it's difficult for us to hide how we're feeling from each other..."

"I think," Nym interrupted; "even without your gifts, you'd know... the four of you are so close and know each other so well..."

"True..." Luna replied; "But the question is... would we be this close if we didn't have this in common?"

"We would have," Ginny assured her; "You and I were friends long before we figured any of this stuff out... it may be why our bond is so strong but it's not the cause of the bond..."

"The four of you amaze me," Draco said, blushing slightly; "I've always, sort of, admired Hermione... she was always a strong person..." he smiled; "I think, maybe, that was part of the reason I picked on her the most... I knew she could take it..."

"She's been 'taking it' her whole life," Ginny corrected; "She has an Eidetic memory and she's really really smart... you've seen how she's been treated at Hogwarts, do you think it was any better for her in Muggle school?"

"If anything, it was worse because she skipped so many grades," Luna commented.

"No... she said it got better as she moved up in school grades... the older kids, some of them anyway, were nice to her because she could help them with their homework," provided Ginny.

"Just how many grades did she skip?" asked Draco.

"In a magical equivalent? She be done a couple of Masteries by now..." Nym replied, then smiled at Ginny's surprise; "We _do_ talk, you know..."

"She's the reason you guys skipped third year..." Draco surmised.

"A bigger part than she's willing to admit," joked Ginny.

"How come you guys got out of Potions last year?" Draco asked.

"Remember when Severus had you redo all your potions?" Ginny asked, he nodded. "Well, that was because Hermione accidentally projected Luna's talent for potions to the whole class... every single one was perfect..."

Draco and Nym laughed.

"Can you imagine the look on his face when he found they were all perfect?" joked Draco.

"We won't be in class again this year," Luna supplied; "I think, in part, because he wants to help us hide what we can do..."

"Maybe Draco should join us for those classes... he could say he needs to catch up to the rest of the class," Ginny suggested and looked to Draco; "He's also going to be teaching us Occlumancy, it might be useful to you..."

"And it would give you a chance to get to know him better," added Luna.

"I'd really like that," Draco said with a smile; "I should have known... I always thought he watched over me because of his friendship with Posh..." he shook his head; "I was so wrong about so many things..."

"I know the truth is a heavy burden to carry, Draco, but you're not carrying it alone..." Luna assured him.

"That's why Hermione told me about her father, isn't it?" Draco asked.

"She wanted you to know she really does understand how you feel," Ginny replied; "You're already in danger... you and your mother both..."

"Everyone is in danger," he corrected; "aside from saving my life I don't know if I could ever repay you for giving me a chance to make a difference... to help protect those I care about..."

"You've been protecting your mother and Pansy all along," corrected Luna; "when Pansy first talked to us... I could feel the undercurrent of fear she was feeling... she wasn't just worried about you, but herself as well..." she explained.

"I did my best," he shrugged.

"That you even tried, despite Posh, is admirable, Draco..." Ginny told him causing him to blush slightly.

"Not something I'd ever expect to hear from you..." he commented dryly.

"Our gifts come in handy," Luna replied with a small laugh; "We know if someone is being honest with us and even gives us clues as to why a person may not be willing to share everything..."

"That may even be part of why Hermione never let the things you said to her get to her too much," Ginny said thoughtfully; "Don't get me wrong... I'm sure some things stung..."

"No more than the punch in the mouth she gave me," joked Draco.

"True," Ginny laughed; "But she has a thick skin, Hermione... but what I meant is, maybe, even before she knew about her gift, she knew you didn't really mean the things you said..."

They had all been eating as they talked and were finishing up their breakfasts when Ginny said; "Let me check you for potions," she smiled at Luna; "I think I'd like to go for a run before we leave..."

"Sounds good," replied Luna.

Ginny went to stand beside Draco, took his hand, and closed her eyes to concentrate. Smiling when she found only the barest trace of the potions in his system, she gradually gave him an all over burst of healing causing him to gasp slightly as it washed over him.

Ginny opened her eyes to find Draco in a state of flux, all of his features going through changes so fast that it was impossible to distinguish any given one.

Luna got up quickly and went to calm him as, despite his changing features, his fear was still apparent.

"It's okay," Nym assured him, "Just relax and don't fight it..."

Luna reached for Ginny's hand behind his back, completing the circle and helping to calm him. Bit by bit the changes slowed, Draco closing his eyes as he let the calm of his two new friends wash over him.

"Thank you," he said softly with a squeeze of their hands as the changes finally stopped; "I think I'm okay..."

Ginny let his hand go and conjured him a mirror so he could see himself.

"Are we sure this is it?" he asked with a smile. He didn't look much different, but only someone who knew him very well would recognize him. The most striking change was the eyes, he had most definitely inherited his father's dark eyes. Somehow though, they suited him with his slightly longer, softer blond hair. There was now, however, no doubt that he was Cissy's son as he almost seemed a male version of her.

"I think so," Nym replied.

Ginny looked to Luna; "How bout that run?" she suggested; "Give these two some time to talk..."

"Thanks you two," Draco said, surprising them both by getting up to hug them.

"You're welcome, Draco..." Ginny answered as she and Luna walked away, both of them changing into their wolf forms mid-stride and running off.

"They're something else, aren't they?" Draco joked; "C'mon... I'll show the lagoon..."

"Sure..." Nym said with a smile as she got up and put an arm around his shoulder. "So, cuz... how are you doing with all this... I mean, really?"

"All my life I've wished it was different... now it is," he replied with a smile; "I know I should be angry," he shook his head; "but I understand why it was kept from me..."

"You're a smart kid, Draco... as evidenced by your willingness to accept the friendship of those four," Nym commented.

"They made it easy," he replied with a laugh; "it was almost like they didn't give me a choice..." he looked down as they walked; "I overheard them talking... worrying really, about my new-found 'sexual nature'," he said tentatively.

Nym shocked him by laughing.

"A lot of that is overblown hype and not nearly as bad for boys," she explained. "Basically, I have a man's libido and boys mature, physically anyway, younger than girls... they hit their peak around eighteen whereas woman usually don't until their thirties... sorry cuz, you'll just be the average randy teenage boy..."

"Well, that's a relief..." he said with a light laugh, "Why do you think I opted out of the Paris trip? I was already having a hard enough time around them... walking around in bikinis," he shook his head; "It's only gotten worse since I've seen their true selves..."

"Tell me about it..." agreed Nym.

"You really care about them, don't you?" Draco asked.

"I do," she smiled; "They changed my life too, kiddo," she gave his shoulders a squeeze as they had reached the lagoon and she went to sit on the sand; "The four of them? They've made me feel more complete than I've ever been," she shook her head and laughed; "I almost failed 'Stealth' despite my gift because I was such a clutz... I don't think I've tripped once since I met them..." she smiled; "I've been getting to know your dad," she shook her head; "Sometimes I can't believe he's the same person that taught me Potions," she looked to the top of the waterfall when she heard laughter, just barely able to distinguish Ginny and Luna as they kissed. "The four of them..." she said wistfully; "they have this way of helping people see they don't need to hide who they are..." she smiled; "And giving people hope that they won't have to wear their masks much longer..."

"Meanwhile, they hide who they are every day," Draco commented; "Doesn't seem fair..."

"It's not," Nym agreed; "They've already sacrificed more than I think even they realize..." she shook her head sadly; "But that's why they fight... not just because they have no choice but because the thing they crave most is normalcy."

"I can understand that," Draco replied honestly; "But it's not like their situation doesn't have its advantages..."

"Very true," Nym laughed; "I think it's a big part of how they cope with it all..." she smiled; "But enough about them... time to teach you how to use your gift..."

...

As Hermione and Fleur made their way towards Hermione and Ginny's room, she subtly scanned for Ginny and Luna, smirking when she found them otherwise engaged.

"What?" Fleur asked.

"Ginny and Luna," she explained; "I think they have the right idea though..."

"Oh, really?" Fleur replied, her voice already lowering, as she laced her fingers with Hermione's.

"Mmmm hmmm," Hermione replied happily.

"You're hoping to see more of what Nym saw, aren't you?" Fleur deduced.

"Maybe..." she replied, her tone growing more serious as she continued; "I'm just trying to understand how I can feel just as much for Nym as I do you..."

"I wouldn't mind knowing why I feel so jealous of her," Fleur admitted.

"But that isn't all you... is it?" Hermione asked as they entered her room.

"Some of it is me," she admitted; "You really feel as much for me as you do her?"

"You didn't know that?" Hermione asked as she drew her close; "True... I was denying it myself," she kissed her softly; "I still have a hard time understanding, sometimes, how it's possible..." she shook her head; "Do you think we'll ever get used to it? The weirdness of all this?"

"Maybe we shouldn't," Fleur replied as she started walking backwards towards the bed; "If we get used to it, we'll forget how precious it is..." Fleur trailed off, distracted by Hermione taking her shirt off. "How long do you figure we have?" she asked, her voice much lower than usual.

"Let me check," Hermione replied, closing her eyes and scanning for their fiancées as Fleur took her shirt off for her.

_"You can just ask you know?" _Ginny's teasing sounded in both their heads.

_"I didn't want to disturb you,"_ Hermione looked at her watch; _"We'll see you in half an hour?" _she offered.

_"Okay... enjoy..."_ Luna joked.

_"Oh... we will..." _Fleur replied, causing Hermione to laugh.

Fleur sat on the bed, pulling Hermione down with her.

Hermione came to rest next to her, studying her eyes before kissing her softly.

"How could I not love you Fleur?" she asked softly, "I would love you just because you love Luna so much..." she smiled; "We've never seen her happier..."

"And I love you and Ginny both for how well you have taken care of her," Fleur confided as she stroked Hermione's cheek. "How could I not feel connected to you? Who else understands what we went through in the tournament?"

"True..." Hermione replied with a dry chuckle, "We have connections within in connections..."

Fleur put her hand behind Hermione's neck and pulled her down, kissing her deeply the moment their lips met. Hermione moaned as she wedged her leg between Fleur's, the blond beneath her responding by arching into her.

Fleur rolled Hermione on her back, then began kissing her way down Hermione's body to a nipple, looking up and grinning at Hermione as she took it between her lips, sighing as she felt Hermione arch into her while tangling her hand in her hair to hold her in place. She pulled the nipple between her teeth, flicking the very tip of it with her tongue and causing Hermione to inhale sharply.

Hermione pulled her back up, kissing her as she rolled back on top of Fleur. She kissed and nipped her way to Fleur's ear, causing her to break into goose bumps and shiver slightly as she whispered; "Can I show you what I plan on doing to you when I finally can?" she grinned when she felt Fleur nod then started kissing her again as she shared with her one of the many fantasies she'd had starring the blond.

Fleur began projecting her desire to Hermione despite her best efforts, her nails digging into her back as she felt her start to play with a nipple, her free hand digging into her hip. They both seemed to try to prolong the agony of their mutual desire... unwilling to fully give in to it, afraid what might happen if they did.

"Mon Dieu!" gasped Fleur, as she felt her climax approaching.

"Fuck..." Hermione agreed as they finally gave into it, both of them blacking out as they reached their peak.

_"Is she alive?" a French accented voice asked._

_ "Barely," replied another as she knelt beside a bundle of, what looked like, rags, lowering her hood as she examined them._

_ A light appeared above her, illuminating the young woman huddled at the bottom of a dirty alley wall. The kneeling woman reached out and put her hand to the young woman's forehead, her face barely recognizable beneath the bruising. _

_ "She hasn't eaten in weeks," she said sadly; "We need to take her home... she's far too injured for me to take it on yet... I'll need to heal her magically before I can do anything else," she looked up to the other woman._

_ "I'll carry her," she offered, the light source being revealed as her flaming hand; "You need to save your strength..." she knelt beside her, extinguishing the flames as she did; "I look forward to helping you feel better later..." she teased, her voice betraying her want before she kissed her._

"What the hell?" Hermione said as she woke.

"Are you two okay?" Luna asked, as she rushed to sit next to Fleur.

"We were hoping to see more of Nym's memory, but saw something entirely different," Fleur explained.

Hermione rolled to her back then sat up as she looked from Ginny to Nym.

"We... me, Fleur and Ginny... we saved Nym..." she said, smiling at their look of confusion; "We, Fleur and I, found her beaten and almost dead," her eyes began to swim with tears as she remembered; "We weren't watching it... it felt like we were there..." she shook her head; "I talked about healing her... like I had your gift," she smiled as she pulled Ginny to her; "I think we shared a body once too..."

"Could you figure out what time period it was?" asked Nym.

"No... it was too dark," Fleur replied, then sat up beside Hermione; "Show me your memory... I want to see if I recognize myself..."

Hermione laughed slightly at the oddity of her statement as she took her hand.

"I think... yes, it must be," Fleur said with a smile as she opened her eyes; "My great great great-grandmother... she was the first to travel..." she shook her head and laughed; "She must have met her before she found her mate..." she laughed. "For once we have more answers than questions..."

"Nice change," joked Luna, "We need to get ready to leave though..."

Hermione looked at her watch, they only had fifteen minutes before leaving.

"How long ago was that Fleur?" Hermione asked as she climbed from the bed, pulling her vest and shirt over her head as she did.

"It was likely the first or second time she had come back," Fleur replied, "I'll ask my mother..." she offered.

"I keep thinking about the Philosopher's Stone..." Hermione said as she began throwing several of her and Ginny's things into her backpack.

"When?" teased Nym, "I don't think I could concentrate with Fleur in my arms..."

"I was thinking about it when Gabrielle interrupted us," Hermione explained, shaking her head as she continued; "But it's something I've thought about before..." she laughed; "He was testing Harry's link..."

"What are you talking about?" asked Ginny.

"Why move the Stone in the first place? Why have Hagrid do it in Harry's presence? Did Tom go after the Stone because it was moved?" Hermione asked, rapid fire.

"Quirell was already back in the country," Luna reminded her.

"Did Tom come back because of Harry's return to the magical world and moving the Stone was only a precaution?" suggested Nym.

"Maybe..." Hermione sighed, "Guess we have a few more questions for dear-old-dad when we get back..."

There was a knock at the door, followed by Helen, Cissy and Gabrielle entering their room.

"Why can't I go to Paris?" Gabrielle whined.

"Because we will be going places someone your age is not allowed," soothed Fleur; "We'll be back in a few days... perhaps you'll let me take you flying?"

"You did it? You became full Veela?" Gabrielle asked excitedly.

"Not exactly, chere, but I will show you when I get back," Fleur replied.

"How are we getting to Paris?" asked Luna, although they had been successfully apparating for the last week none of them were sure they were ready to apparate so far.

"We'll be taking a Portkey to my family home where we'll be staying," Helen provided with a smile; "It's only a half hour drive into Paris proper and will afford us more safety and privacy."

"You have a home here?" asked Ginny.

"When Posh attacked my family it was the best place for us to run," Helen smiled; "The Malfoys were originally from France but, several generations ago, they were run out of the country... No Malfoy can step foot on French soil upon penalty of death," she explained; "even though I modified Posh's memory to make him believe he had succeeded it was far too dangerous for us to stay in Britain as one of Tommy's other minions may have recognized us..."

"Speaking of Posh," Nym started carefully as she went to take Cissy's hands, but looked to Fleur; "She doesn't need to hear this," she said looking significantly to Fleur's little sister.

Fleur nodded, hugged Gabrielle and sent on her way with promises she would bring something back from Paris for her.

"It won't be made public," Nym started, with a shake of her head; "Fudge is suppressing it despite Amelia's best efforts at the Prophet... he's dead..."

"I knew he wouldn't last long," Cissy said, laughing dryly. She looked to the girls; "Most, when sentenced to Azkaban for anything more than six months, lose their will to live and die of starvation..."

"He was killed, Cissy," Nym corrected; "The human guards are stumped," she shook her head; "he was found nailed to the wall of his cell, his throat slit and the word 'Unworthy' carved into his chest..."

"But how?" Cissy asked, her voice curious rather than sad at her ex-husband's demise.

"They don't know," Nym replied, then smiled; "But they mentioned Bella seems to be in a better mood than she has been in a while..."

"Probably because she knows Tom is back," Hermione said ruefully.

"Dora, when we get back to Britain, do you think you can organize a visit to my sister?" Cissy asked, much to everyone's surprise.

"Maybe after the baby is born?" Nym replied, Cissy nodding at the wisdom of her suggestion.

"You think Bellatrix killed him?" asked Hermione.

"I do," Cissy replied with a smile; "The question is, why?"

"I would think the more pressing question would be, how?" countered Fleur.

"We need to have that chat about Bella when we get back," replied Cissy; "But our Portkey is due to leave in a few minutes... are you all ready?"

"Almost," replied Ginny as she helped Hermione affix her wand holder to her arm, Luna and Fleur already doing the same for each other; "You have our daggers in our bag right?" Hermione nodded then helped Ginny with her wand holder.

"You lot sound like you're preparing for war already," teased Helen.

"Aren't we?" countered Hermione, she shook her head; "it's a precaution... I'd rather have them and not need them..."

"Fair enough..." Helen conceded, motioning them to touch the Portkey.

"Hermione... stop worrying," teased Luna; "If we've forgotten something we can call one of the Delacour elves..."

Hermione took a deep breath and sighed. She wasn't entirely sure she was ready to face the real world again. Their time at the château had its share of surprises but, for the first time in a very long time, they hadn't needed to hide who they were or what they could do. Now that they would be spending time in the Muggle world, it was even more important to conceal themselves. She took a deep breath, no, for the moment they were safer in the Muggle world, she thought as she reached for the Portkey alongside the others. While it was true they would still be hiding their true selves, they couldn't be too safe, after all, they would at least be their own ages, just wearing a magical mask of someone else's appearance.

The Portkey deposited them outside of a small manor house. Well, small compared to Chateau Delacour, the four girls sensing the telltale signs of Goblin wards as they passed through them.

_"When was this place warded?"_ Hermione asked Nym in thought.

_"When Cissy told me where we would be staying," _Nym replied in kind; _"We should play a game while we're in Paris... spot our goblin guard."_

Conversation ended as they approached a tall man in a smart black suit waiting for them beside a highly polished limousine.

"Jean-Phillipe... so good to see you," Helen said warmly as she went to hug him; "Girls... I'd like you to meet my cousin... he and his wife, Kira, have been living here and taking care of our home since we returned to Britain," she smiled; "JP, I'd like you to meet..."

"Hermione Granger," he said, smiling warmly as he extended his hand to her; "You, of course, I know... well done on the tournament," he smiled as he turned to Fleur; "And you Miss Delacour, you represented France very well... congratulations to you both," he then smiled at Ginny and Luna, turning to the latter first; "and you are Luna," he turned to Ginny, "and of course you must be Ginny..." he turned to Nym and Cissy, again greeting the latter first; "You of course are the famous Narcissa and you?" he said as he turned to Nym.

"Nymphadora Tonks," Narcissa replied warmly; "My niece and Auror..."

"Please... call me Tonks or Dora..." Nym said as she shook his hand.

"You must excuse my husband," said a tall, willowy woman as she approached; "he has a flair for the dramatic..." she handed a newspaper to Hermione.

Hermione unrolled it and discovered it to be a French magical paper or, more specifically, a gay newspaper, its front page a full-page article on the four.

"Pardon my ignorance... but you're..." Hermione started, she didn't feel a whisper of magic in either of them.

"We are, what do British call us, Squibs?" Jean-Phillipe offered.

"I was going to say 'Muggles'..." she replied apologetically.

He shook his head as he laughed; "It means the same thing does it not?"

"I suppose," Hermione replied uncertainly.

"Jean-Phillipe was in the French Army," Helen informed them; "He will not only be our driver, but added protection while we are in Paris," she looked to Hermione specifically; "We have done everything possible to ensure our safety for the next few days," she shook her head as Hermione went to interrupt; "No... your only responsibility is to relax and not think about anything... understood?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Hermione replied with a mock salute.

"And Miss Granger?" Jean-Phillipe said, drawing her attention; "I may not have magic to wield like the four of you, but in experience," he said as he lifted his jacket to reveal the two pistols he carried; "a gun works just as well..."

"It is not my safety I would be concerned with, but yours, if you got in the middle," Hermione countered.

"I am smart enough to know when to duck and cover," he replied with a smile, but when he continued his voice was more serious; "But nothing will harm you under my watch..."

"Thank you, Jean-Phillipe," Ginny said, cutting off the conversation.

"Here," Kira said, as she reached for their bags; "I'll take these inside... you should be leaving soon if you want to get any shopping done before your appointment..."

"I'd rather keep mine with me," replied Hermione; "Not that I don't trust you, but that I have things in here that I'd rather not be parted with..."

"Understandable," Kira replied as Luna, Nym and Helen handed her their bags.

They turned to the car as the sound of a car door opening drew their attention; "Come," said Jean-Phillipe lightly; "your chariot awaits..."

The girls laughed as they climbed into the car's cool interior.

"So that throws a wrinkle in the plan," commented Fleur as they each accepted a glass of champagne from Helen.

"You're worried about being recognized?" asked Cissy.

"Always," sighed Hermione.

"While we might as well practice while we drive," offered Fleur, assuming a disguise as a male version of herself. "What?" she asked to their bemused looks; "We will draw less attention as a straight couple... isn't that the point?" she queried as she adjusted the charm to allow those in their group to see her true form.

"She has a point," Hermione replied as she transformed into a male version of herself and looking remarkably unlike her half-brother Morgan.

"Why do you get to be the boy?" teased Ginny.

"Cause I'm afraid you'll end up looking like one of your brothers," Hermione joked.

Ginny bumped her shoulder into her fiancée's shoulder, then adjusted her magic, her hair now short and blond, her eyes a vivid blue.

"Nice one," Hermione said appreciatively, recognizing one of the characters from her favourite Muggle show, Xena.

"On the same theme," Luna laughed as she assumed the appearance of the show's title character.

"Aren't you worried someone will think you're them?" asked Nym, recognizing the two from a memory Hermione had shown her.

"I doubt it," replied Hermione, "the show isn't that big..." she smiled; "Your turn..."

"Hmmm... I think I'll morph though, save my energy..." Nym replied; "Any suggestions?"

"Jeffery," replied Cissy and Helen.

"That could work and then Cissy and Helen can be themselves..." Hermione replied with a grin.

"Well, come here so Helen can show me what he looks like," Nym said, motioning Hermione over.

Hermione smiled and took both Helen and Nym's hands, "Bring up a mental image of Jeffery," she explained.

Helen smiled, nodded and did as she was asked, Hermione transferring the image to Nym.

"Okay, give me a minute... how tall is he?" Nym asked.

"Just a bit taller than me," replied Helen.

Nym nodded and closed her eyes, adjusting her features one by one until she was a spitting image of Helen's husband. It was the first time they had really seen Nym use her gift and they were all suitably impressed.

"You'll all have to look like women for two of our stops today," Helen advised them as she helped Nym transfigure her clothes into something more manly.

"What do you have planned?" Fleur asked with a smile.

"You'll see..." Cissy teased.

...

When they arrived in Paris a little while later, Jean-Phillipe spent the next several hours driving them from store to store according to a list his wife had given him. After thoroughly embarrassing Nym in a lingerie store when she admitted to not usually wearing underwear they found themselves at a high-end dress store, the five of them seeming to study the window display as Hermione actually scanned the store for magicals and placed some basic wards to warn them should they be followed inside. It was tiring to be sure, but none of them complained at her cautiousness. She raised an eyebrow as she finished scanning, then placed the wards, laughing when she realized the source of the magic beneath their feet. Their guard was following below them.

"We all need dresses for the wedding," Ginny explained as they entered; "We're wearing our mother's dresses for the actual ceremony, but we want to change into something else after..."

"Luna and Helen with me?" suggested Hermione. They nodded and joined her. Looking to Cissy, she added; "See she gets something too..." she said, pointing to Nym.

"Will do..." Cissy replied with a grin as she led, an about to protest, Nym away.

Hermione, Helen and Luna wandered off in the opposite direction.

"Hermione... stop..." chided Helen.

"What?" she countered.

"You can relax, all of you..." Helen assured her.

"We can't," Hermione said then forced a smile as she held out a sexy black dress out to Helen, "How about this one?"

"Not quite appropriate for a wedding..." Helen said skeptically.

"You're coming then?" Luna asked as she handed Hermione a dark red low-cut dress that would reach just below her knee.

Helen nodded and handed Luna a dark violet dress that would compliment her figure nicely. Helen chose another dress for herself, then they went to join the others at the counter, Hermione paying with the large wad of French cash she had in her bag.

"No... don't worry about it, please..." she assured Helen and Cissy yet again, they'd given her the same look at every store.

"And our next stop is paid for," Nym informed them; "I rented out the whole place for the evening... they closed early, just for us..." she put an arm around Hermione's shoulder; "Maybe even you will relax a little..."

"How can you afford that?" Cissy asked; "I didn't think the Ministry paid that well..."

"It doesn't," Nym laughed; "But I can't explain right now..."

"To our next stop, JP," Helen announced as they exited.

It was a short drive to their next destination, a luxurious health spa in the heart of Paris. They spent they next few hours being pampered. From full body massages, to facials, pedicures and manicures... the seven women were treated like royalty.

As they sat around enjoying the hot tub Cissy informed them to dress for dinner as that was their next stop, Nym again letting them know that they would have the restaurant to themselves. When they arrived at the restaurant they were amazed at the view they were afforded.

Hermione went to stand by the window to admire it as they waited for their appetizers, Ginny going to stand by her, Hermione automatically putting her arm around her shoulders.

"You're tired," Ginny stated.

"I used a lot of magic today," Hermione replied, smiling as Ginny gave her a boost of energy; "Thanks, love..."

"Yes, well," she went to whisper in her ear; "until I can make you feel better later..."

"Food's here..." Nym called.

They went to join her, Luna and Fleur at one table, Helen and Cissy sitting with JP near the door. After a thoroughly pleasant meal and many bottles of wine, JP drove the seven back to the manor.

They went to their rooms, changing into something more comfortable, before joining the adults on the back porch for one last glass of wine before bed.

"Cissy... Severus asked me to give this to you," Hermione said as she handed her his 'gift'; "With everything that was going on I completely forgot about it..."

Cissy lifted it to her nose, inhaled deeply and smiled.

"I shouldn't... it would be bad for the baby," she said as she handed it back to Hermione; "I see no reason why the five of you shouldn't partake however..."

"I don't know..." Hermione said.

"Oh, c'mon H, live a little..." Nym chided as she took it from Hermione, inhaled deeply as she lit it then handed it back to her.

Hermione looked to Ginny, who smiled encouragingly, "Oh... what the hell..." she said before taking a puff, coughing deeply as the smoke hit her lungs.

Ginny took it from her, took several puffs, her eyes watering as she tried not to cough, before passing it on. By the time the joint had been passed around a few times they all began feeling more relaxed than any of them could remember being for a very long time.

"I see why Severus likes this..." Hermione sighed as she laid back in her chair and looked up to the sky, "Aren't the stars beautiful?" she asked wistfully, "Mars seems unusually bright..."

...

Nym and Ginny joined Hermione on the balcony off their room, Ginny going to stand in her arms while Nym held her from behind. Sighing contentedly she kissed Ginny softly. It had been a long and eventful day, but for the most part, they had been able to put their worries aside despite having remained on high alert the entire time.

Nym nuzzled into her neck, and inhaled deeply of the faint scent left by the many of the lotions they'd been treated to at the spa. "I do have one problem with what happened this morning..." she whispered, Hermione turning in her arms, then visibly relaxing when she saw the mischievous smile on Nym's face. "Neither of you gave me the chance to reciprocate..." she explained, her voice already low as she reached for the hem of Hermione's shirt.

Hermione pulled her by the nape of her neck and kissed her deeply before breaking it to remove Nym's vest and shirt. Nym smiled and started walking back towards the bed, her hunger for the two growing as they followed, both of them removing their own shirts and vests as they all climbed on to the bed.

Ginny steered Hermione to lie between them, kissing her, her hands already beginning to roam her body, her magic's need to help her mate replenish her own stores almost taking over when she was distracted by Nym's laugh, reminding her of her presence.

"I tried... like you did to me..." Nym tried to explain.

"I haven't yet," laughed Ginny, her hand quickly working its way between Hermione's legs, the brunette losing any ability to think as Nym's hand joined Ginny's and the pressure was doubled.

As it often happened, they quickly lost track of time and orgasms, Hermione changing them out of their soaked jeans and into their pajama bottoms before they fell asleep, Ginny and Nym on each of her shoulders. They were fast asleep within moments, sated and content for the first time in recent memory.

Soon they were dreaming of another lifetime they had shared...

_"How is she?" asked the tall ethereal blond as she entered the room._

_"Physically better," the brunette shook her head as she looked to the young woman in the bed; "She is so young to have suffered so much..."_

_"Have you been able to see her dreams?"_

_"Yes," she sighed sadly; "But I still do not know how she came to be in that alley..." she trailed off as the sleeping woman frowned. "Can you make her something to eat? She'll be waking soon..."_

_"Of course, love..." the blond replied before kissing her forehead. "I will bring the potions as well..." she added before leaving._

_The brunette watched her retreating form hungrily as she left, then turned her attention back to the girl in the bed. She reached for her hand, and as she gently sent her a some magical energy to wake her, ran her thumb slowly back and forth across her knuckles._

_"Where am I?" the girl asked, her voice rough due to lack of use._

_The brunette surreptitiously conjured a pitcher of water and glass on the bedside. She stood and poured her a glass of water, handed it to her and then resumed her seat before replying._

_"You are safe," she said._

_"Who are you?" the girl asked after taking several long swallows of water._

_"My name is Emilia," she smiled as the blond returned with soup and fresh bread on a tray; "And this is my beloved, Celeste..." the girl's eyes grew wide._

_"Does that shock you, child?" asked Celeste as she waited for Emilia to help the girl sit up to receive her food._

_"No..." she replied shyly as she reached for her spoon, "just that you admit to it..."_

_"We are not ashamed of our love," Emilia informed her; "And what is your name?"_

_"Aiofe," she replied, her hair growing darker._

_The two older women shared a curious glance, then looked back to Aiofe when they heard her spoon fall into her bowl and she began to sob, her hands covering her face._

_It was good she wasn't watching as the two women moved faster than humanly possible, moving her tray and going to console her. Celeste held her tentatively from behind while Emilia lifted her chin with a finger._

_"You have nothing to fear here, child..." she assured her._

_"You... you should fear me..." Aiofe stammered._

_"Of course not, dear... I am like you," Emilia assured her._

_"You can change too?" she asked incredulously._

_"No," Emilia laughed quietly; "Even among our kind you are unique," she gently wiped away her tears; "Did you not know? You are a witch, child..."_

_"I am not," she replied defiantly, angry at the insult her parents had used many times._

_"Has nothing ever happened that you could not explain?" Celeste prodded; "Perhaps when you were angry or scared?"_

_Aifoe's eyes grew wide as she attempted to reply; "I..." she shook her head and began trying to push the two away; "I have to go... I'll hurt you... like I..." she began sobbing as they two continued to hold her tightly._

_"What happened child?" Emilia asked as Celeste rubbed her back to calm her._

_"You can tell us... we will not judge..." offered the blond._

_Aiofe nodded and took a deep breath to steady herself. The two women listened intently, their sadness at all the young woman had endured at her parent's hands saddening them both to the point of tears._

_After more than fifteen years of trying to beat the 'evil' from her, Aiofe had finally snapped and hit them with a blast of magic so strong the house had caught on fire, becoming entirely engulfed behind her as she fled into the night._

_"So... it's not evil... what I can do?" she asked as she studied her hands._

_"It is not, child," Emilia smiled; "We can teach you to control and use it..."_

_Aiofe looked up and met Emilia's eyes._

_"I can stay?" she asked, the hope and fear in her voice tearing at their hearts._

_"Of course," Emilia replied before her own tears could fall and drawing the girl into a hug, "we have more than enough room..."_

_"Our home is your home... for as long as you need it," Celeste added as she hugged them both, a sad look in her eye that only Emilia caught._

_Emilia leaned over Aiofe and kissed Celeste softly before letting them both go and returning Aiofe's tray to her lap._

_"Eat," she urged; "I can heal you magically and give you potions to help replenish all your body has lost, but nothing can replace a good meal..."_

_Aiofe looked to the meal in front of her, after living most of her life on scraps and rotten food, the bowl of soup and fresh bread seemed like a small feast._

_"You need to start slowly," Emilia explained; "Your stomach isn't used to having food in it..."_

_"No..." Aiofe assured her quietly; "I don't remember the last time I had this much, let alone fresh or hot..." her hair turned red in her embarrassment; "Thank you..."_

_"I am sorry this happened to you, child," Emilia smiled; "that you survived at all is a testament to your strength..."_

_Aiofe ripped a piece of bread with her teeth and chewed it, her look pensive as she looked between her new friends and saviours. She swallowed and smiled._

_"I'm not a child, you know..." she teased._

_"Compared to us... most people are children," Emilia replied with a laugh._

_"You can't be much older than me and I'm in my early twenties," she frowned; "I think... I lost track..."_

_"Well... add a century and you would be close..." Emilia joked._

_"That isn't possible..." Aiofe gasped._

_"You are not the only one with a gift," Emilia teased._

_"Does it have something to do with how good I'm feeling?" Aiofe asked shrewdly._

_"You're a clever one," Celeste teased._

_"How old are you then?" Aiofe asked._

_"I celebrate my sixtieth next month," replied Celeste with a smile; "but there is a different source of my youth..." Aiofe yawned; "You need your rest," she pointed to her forgotten soup; "Eat..."_

_When she finished her meal Emilia took her tray and traded it with Celeste for three potion bottles._

_"These two will help you regain your strength," Emilia explained; "And this one will allow you a dreamless sleep..."_

_"I will never be able to repay your kindness..." Aoife said, a little sadly before drinking the first two potions._

_"That's the thing about true kindness," started Emilia._

_"It doesn't expect to be repaid," finished Celeste._

_Aiofe smiled in understanding before drinking the last potion, asleep before Celeste lowered her to her pillow._

_Emilia sat beside her and gently moved some hair from her forehead before gently placing a kiss there._

_"It's about time," teased Celeste affectionately._

_"What are you on about?" Emilia replied as she stood and laced her finger's with her lover's._

_Celeste led her to their bedroom before elaborating. She turned Emilia to face her and searched her eyes, "You are already falling in love with her..."_

_"Don't be daft," Emilia laughed and went to kiss her; "She's a child..."_

_"Don't," Celeste warned; "I can feel it..." she kissed her softly; "and she's beginning to feel the same..."_

_"You're only saying that because you want to leave..." Emilia replied testily as she went to walk away._

_Celeste grabbed her and pulled her back into her arms._

_"We knew this day would come..." she said softly as she rested their foreheads together._

_"I'm not ready to let you go..." Emilia choked out._

_"Nor I, you," Celeste sighed; "But I should have returned to my clan long ago..."_

_"Not yet," Emilia said quietly and pulled her tight._

_"Not anytime soon..." Celeste replied, then kissed her again._

In another time and another land, the three sleeping women curled tighter into each other as the dream drew to a close.

**A/N: Sorry for the delay on this one, I hope you'll forgive me with the extra long chapter... the name, Jean-Phillipe is a nod to a wonderful fic titled; "Heart and Soul." Fans of the show 'Orphan Black" will likely recognize a few names, one in this chapter and two in the next... I always have a horrible time finding names and I watched an Orphan Black marathon last weekend... until next time...**


	5. Chapter 5- Heart, Body, Mind and Soul

Hermione woke first the next morning, the warmth of the bodies beside her trying to lull her back to sleep. Ginny shifted in her sleep, Hermione taking the chance to pull her closer. Nym had rolled away in the night so Hermione turned on her side to face the sleeping redhead. She gently moved the hair from her face and smiled. Something had changed between the three of them last night or, maybe, it had just been herself that had changed.

There had been no hesitation in their lovemaking the night before, the give and take between the three had been seamless. She blushed and smiled as she remembered the three of them finally giving in and allowing Ginny to use her gift on all of them. Hermione had been in the middle, Nym in her arms with Ginny holding her tightly from behind. It had left them all sated but longing for the day when they wouldn't need Ginny's gift to make it happen.

Hermione's eyes grew wide as she remembered the dream she'd had, her mind immediately going into overdrive with all the new questions it raised. She took a deep breath and tried to calm her thoughts, but it was no use. Too many questions had been raised in the last day and she would need to think them out if she was to enjoy the rest of their trip.

She kissed Ginny's forehead softly, then gently extracted herself from her arms, trying not wake her. She sat up and turned to Nym. She smiled softly, then kissed her shoulder before crawling from the bed. After retrieving her bathrobe from her bag and using the bathroom, she settled at the table with a stack of parchments and six of her special quills.

She looked to the bed before starting, the sound of movement having drawn her attention. She smiled, Ginny had been searching the bed for her in her sleep and Nym, also still asleep, had pulled her into her arms to comfort her. Hermione felt no jealousy, though, if anything she felt at peace. A part of her, even though it had been she who had first brought it up, resented having to share Nym with the others. She put her face in her hands... none of this should make any sense.

She shook her head, this was the subject she wanted to think about, but all the other questions she now had were clouding her thoughts. She picked up the first quill and looked back to the bed again as she fed the quill all the questions her dream had raised along with the dream itself. When it began to vibrate in her hand, indicating that it was full, she set it upon a parchment, and reached for the next quill.

So involved in the process she didn't notice that the bed's occupants had woken.

"Does she do this often?" Nym asked softly.

"Mmm hmm," Ginny hummed as she curled into Nym, her head on her shoulder; "Best to just let her finish..." Ginny turned so she could look up at Nym; "once the questions start... one leads to another..."

Nym turned on her side and stroked Ginny's cheek tenderly.

"It's okay, Nym..." Ginny said softly as she went to kiss her softly; "You needn't be scared of these changes... or how you feel..."

"I'm safe?" Nym asked.

"You had the dream too?" Ginny asked, Nym nodded.

"Could you feel what Aiofe was feeling?" Ginny asked.

Nym smiled and stroked her cheek tenderly; "I think we had that particular dream so I could understand..." she sighed and kissed her softly; "this... all this... it scares me..." Ginny kissed her, trying to lift her sadness; "I've never felt like this... the one time I did..."

"Nym?" Ginny said softly and waited for her to meet her eyes; "We all care for you... we all love you in our own way," she kissed her again; "We're not going anywhere... you can trust this... you can trust us..."

Nym felt a hand on her shoulder and rolled to her back, Hermione studying her eyes.

"We're not going to hurt you, Nym... it's the last thing any of us wants," Hermione assured her.

"I know..." Nym smiled as Hermione leaned down to kiss her.

"I just wish we had more time to spend with you," Hermione added, sighed, then showed them one of the parchments she had been working on. "See if I missed anything?"

Ginny and Nym sat up to read the parchment together, it was everything Hermione could remember about the dream she'd had the night before.

"I didn't see that last part," said Nym as she finished reading what Hermione had written; "I guess I only saw what Aoife saw... but Celeste was wrong..."

"She wasn't already having feelings for Emilie?" asked Ginny.

"No, she was," Nym smiled; "but it wasn't shock she felt when she found out they were together, it was disappointment..." she shook her head; "I don't think Aoife knew what love was, she'd never been shown love before, but I'm pretty sure she was having feelings for them both."

"I think... I think Celeste was dying," added Ginny.

"Who's Celeste?" asked Luna as she and Fleur entered and joined them on the bed.

"The three of us shared a dream last night," Hermione explained.

"Why don't you show them while I take a shower?" suggested Nym. Hermione nodded, Nym kissed each of them before climbing from the bed, gathering a change of clothes and heading to washroom.

Hermione reached for Fleur and Luna's hands and shared the dream with them, hoping Fleur might have some insight into her Veela ancestor.

"Huh... I had always assumed our souls had stayed within our bloodlines..." Fleur started thoughtfully; "I know the names of all those I am descended from... Celeste wasn't one of them..."

"Is Ginny right? Could she have been dying?" Hermione asked.

"If she had yet to have a child," Fleur shook her head; "It is a part of Veela biology... if a female doesn't have a child before the age of forty her hormones turn against her... first she loses her sanity and then her life..."

"Could Emilie have been responsible for her health?" asked Ginny.

"I don't know," Fleur responded, exasperated; "The only thing I can think of is that Celeste wasn't a pure Veela."

"I wonder..." Hermione said then looked off into the distance; "What if our gifts only manifest within our bloodlines," she looked to Ginny; "What if Emilie was descended from both Fania and Elise?"

"That is entirely possible with seven children each..." replied Fleur.

"To be honest, I'm more curious as to why and how this is happening," started Hermione as she pulled Ginny into her arms, but looked to her friends as she continued; "With the amount the four of us have already bonded... why now?"

"We did have that one dream before the first task," Ginny offered.

"Maybe we're seeing these particular memories because, to some degree, we've all been questioning Nym's place in our lives," suggested Fleur. "I can only speak for myself, but..." she reached for Hermione's hand; "I was afraid of losing what we have... you and I..."

"I think we all felt that way..." Luna admitted.

Hermione reached for Luna and pulled her into arms as well, Fleur going to sit behind Hermione and taking her into her arms.

"This... what the four of us have... it's not going anywhere," Hermione said passionately; "I love each of you so much and for such different reasons," she kissed Ginny's cheek. "I tell Ginny all the time... I am hers- heart, body, mind and soul... she completes me," she met each of their eyes; "But each of us represents one of those aspects best... that's why the four of us are able to love Nym and not have her threaten any of the connections we already have..."

"So I'd be?" Ginny asked.

"Body," Hermione replied with a smile; "because of your gift."

"So you'd be Mind?" Luna asked Hermione.

Hermione nodded; "And you would be Heart."

"So that makes me 'Soul'?" asked Fleur.

"Yes... because of your ability to tap into your Veela soul and its love for Luna," Hermione provided.

"And that's why, until Nym finds her own Soulmate, the four of us can be enough for her," Ginny surmised.

"I've noticed," Nym said lightly, towel drying her hair as she walked towards them; "that every time you talk about this mythical person I'll meet someday..." she smiled and raised an eyebrow; "that you always use gender neutral terms," she sat on the bed; "What's up with that?"

"We didn't want to assume you were exclusively..." Ginny said uncertainly.

"Into women?" she provided, Ginny nodded. Nym sat on the bed with them and smiled; "I've been with both, but I prefer women."

"Don't take it personally, Nym, until I met Fleur I thought I was going to end up with Harry..." Luna said, causing Nym to laugh.

"So what's the plan for today?" Hermione asked Nym.

"What makes you think I know?" Nym teased.

"I'm assuming you're part of the reason our guard was able to follow us so easily yesterday... even if they were underground," said Hermione.

"What do you mean, 'underground'?" asked Ginny.

"The last shop we were at," Hermione smiled; "When I scanned ahead I felt magic beneath us... the must have tunnels all over the world," she shook her head; "Or maybe they use the same kind of magic they built into Hogwarts..."

"Like the doors to our quarters, you mean?" asked Luna.

Hermione nodded and waited for Nym to explain.

"Alright... fine... yes... I gave Gringott our itinerary..." Nym replied guiltily.

"It's okay, Nym," Hermione said as she reached for her hand; "I have a hard time getting angry over people protecting us... especially the Goblins... they choose to protect us and have continued to do so despite the treatment they've received from most of the magical community," she squeezed Nym's hand; "Are you going to tell us what is happening with the Order?"

"I told your father..." Nym started but paused at the look of anger cross Hermione's face.

"Not to tell us anything?" Hermione said tersely.

"That I'd try to wait until we got back from Paris," Nym clarified.

"My father doesn't know me very well," Hermione said with a sigh; "once I start thinking about something..." she shook her head.

"There's only one time Hermione can put her mind on hold," offered Luna.

"When she's drunk?" guessed Nym.

"Nope... not even then," Ginny replied, also laughing; "That just slows her mind down a little..."

"No... the only thing that can distract our resident genius is..." started Fleur.

"Sex," finished Ginny; "And even then sometimes she has a hard time putting stuff on her backburner..."

"Something we've all been trying to teach her for the last year," teased Luna.

"Okay... the lot of you... stop..." Hermione said with a laugh.

"Yes, well, your father doesn't know me very well either," Nym said with a smile; "The only reason I'm attending those stupid meetings is so you four can know what is going on..."

"Aren't they doing anything?" asked Ginny.

"They're trying," she sighed; "but it's hard to enlist help when the threat still hasn't shown itself..." she smiled and shook her head; "We have a sightseeing tour planned for today, but we don't have to be in Paris 'till eleven... I'll share the memory after breakfast?"

"Okay... why don't you guys head down and we'll join after a quick shower..." Hermione offered.

"You two and 'quick shower' don't usually go together," teased Luna.

"And you're welcome, by the way..." Fleur started as Ginny and Hermione got off the bed.

"For what?" asked Ginny.

"For putting silencing charms around your room last night," Fleur replied, causing Nym, Hermione and Ginny to blush; "One of you," she explained as she looked to Nym; "is very loud..."

...

Hermione and Ginny stood under the warm water of the shower, just holding each other. For the first time after being with someone else there wasn't the overwhelming urge to re-establish their bond. Joining the others for breakfast less than twenty minutes later had the other three in their coven smirking as they took their seats.

Talk at breakfast was kept light and centered mostly around their upcoming tour of Paris, but Helen and Cissy could sense the underlying tension among the girls.

"What happened to not worrying about anything for a few days?" Cissy teased.

"Unfortunately, my brain doesn't know how," joked Hermione; "You would think it would be better, being away from it, but it never really goes away... the worry..."

"If anything, it's almost worse," added Ginny.

"Because you have little control from here?" asked Helen.

"We have little control, period," replied Hermione with a sigh; "I'm mostly just tired of this waiting game..."

"If Tom is so weak, why not do away with him now?" asked Helen.

"Because killing him now won't help," Ginny replied, her tone such that Helen and Cissy knew not to ask further questions.

Nym stood from the table, the others following her lead as they had already finished eating.

"Walk?" she asked.

"Sure..." replied Ginny.

"Be back by ten..." Helen called to them as they left.

As they walked out into the sunshine Hermione put her arm around Ginny's shoulders, Nym taking her free hand. Fleur did the same with Luna and took Nym's other hand as they walked. Hermione did a scan of the area and laughed.

"What?" asked Luna.

"There are no less than thirty Goblins camping out within the wards," Hermione explained.

"You can feel them?" asked Nym.

"I can sense their magic," Hermione clarified; "As much as I appreciate their protection I wonder if they're not a little over protective..."

"You don't understand how the Goblins view the four of you," Nym replied; "Yes... there is seven of us, but you four are the core of this... the reason they're involved in the first place," she smiled; "Gringott speaks very highly of you Hermione... he's watched your interactions at the bank ever since you first walked in... even before you knew of the connection you have with them you have always treated them like equals... that alone would have set you apart from most people who walk in the bank..."

"I think if people realized just how screwed they would be without the Goblins they'd all treat them a little better," Hermione smiled; "With the amount of gold in our joint vault alone, they could easily bring the entire British magical population to its financial knees..." she looked to Nym; "I did some basic calculations this morning... I think Gringott's estimate is off..."

"He was wondering how long it would take you to figure that out," Nym said with a laugh as she went to sit on the grass; "They're not entirely sure how much is in the main vault... the estimate was just that, an estimate..."

"How much do you think is really there?" asked Ginny as she and the others joined Nym on the grass.

"Based on the size of the vault?" asked Hermione, receiving their nods; "I'm thinking it's more in the tens of billions..."

"We could buy every shop in Diagon Alley..." Luna said, awestruck.

"Exactly," Hermione said with a smile; "Or... when this all over, we can build and open a magical preschool..."

"You really are out to change the world..." Nym teased.

"Maybe... but is that such a bad thing?" asked Hermione.

"No... just ambitious..." Nym replied, then kissed her cheek; "Ready for that memory?"

The girls nodded and took each other's hands, Nym squeezing Hermione's to let her know when she was ready.

_"Any news from Hagrid?" Minerva asked._

_"They should be reaching the Giant's territory in the next few days," Albus replied, then looked to Remus; "How goes it with the werewolves?"_

_"Slowly..." Remus replied, but trailed off at the a dry chuckle from Severus; "What?" he asked tersely._

_Severus shook his head; "I mean no disrespect to either you or Hagrid... but you both face the same problem," he started evenly; "Hagrid and Madame Maxime are half-giants with magic... at most they might be able to convince them to stay out of the fight, but to be frank, they'll be lucky to leave with their heads," he shook his head again and looked to Albus; "You would have had more luck if you had gone yourself..."_

_"I explained, very carefully, to Hagrid, how to approach them... sent them with gifts for the Gurg..." Albus countered._

_"No," Severus interrupted; "If you had gone they would have been more willing to listen, especially if you offered them what they really want..."_

_"Surely you're not suggesting they be brought out of exile?" asked Kingsley Shacklebolt._

_"Of course not," Severus said with a laugh; "We could never reasonably provide that... there are, however, thousands of uninhabited islands around the world... they could easily be relocated."_

_"You seem to have had a lot of time to think about this," commented Sirius._

_"Yes, well, when your 'charge' spends most of time staring at the wall crying..." Severus joked, several of the Order members trying to hide their smiles. "I'm sorry, Remus, you're probably facing the same problem with the werewolves..."_

_"What would you suggest?" asked Remus._

_"Isn't it obvious?" asked Severus with a raised eyebrow._

_"You're not seriously suggesting I..."_

_"Kill Fenrir Greyback?" Severus finished for him, then looked around the table at the people assembled; "What you all fail to realize is... we are at war," he looked back to Remus; "You would spare the life of the man who, not only cursed you, but countless others? Why? Out of some sense of decency?" he shook his head; "Greyback would not hesitate to kill you..."_

_"I can not advocate this course of action," Albus said quietly; "But were you to..."_

_"I wouldn't use magic against him," Remus finished as he held up his hand; "that would only lead the rest to distrust me even more..."_

_Sirius reached for his hand; "Kill him any way you have to Moony... we can always make it look like you fought to the death..." Sirius looked to Severus, his look challenging._

_"How very Slytherin of you," Severus replied with a small smile; "I was going to suggest poison..."_

_"I'm not saying I'm going to do this," Remus said quietly._

_"It's okay to not be excited about killing someone," Nym said quietly, thinking of Harry and his destiny._

_Remus nodded and smiled._

_"Should we be worried about the Dementors?" Arthur asked, attempting to change the subject and take the focus off Remus._

_"No," Nym replied to everyone's surprise; "There are new wards around Azkaban... if a Dementor leaves without orders to do so they will not be able to return..."_

_"What good does that do us?" asked Molly._

_"They will be hunted down and detained for starters," Nym supplied; "And the new wards will also detect anyone with a Mark from trying to break in or out... they will disable them until they are apprehended..." she looked to Severus; "Care to tell us what Tom is planning?" she asked, realizing she'd already told them too much about the wards._

_"He is..." he shook his head; "of two minds... at times he is the same old conniving, deluded piece of shit we all know and love... ranting, raving and making grandiose plans on how he intends to 'deal with' Miss Granger..."_

_"What does Hermione have to do with this?" Molly asked fearfully._

_"He has convinced himself that it wasn't Harry in the graveyard," Severus explained; "He believes it was Hermione using Polyjuice and that is the reason he has returned weakened..."_

_"How weak is he?" asked Nym._

_"He is getting stronger... his magical core is at about seventy percent," there was an audible sigh of relief from many._

_"Do not underestimate him," Albus advised; "Even at seventy percent he is stronger than most at a hundred," all of them nodded grimly._

_"Nor does he have an issue with using it," Sirius added quietly._

_"He has talked about recruiting the giants, werewolves and Dementors, but he is still in no condition to even face his faithful," Severus continued; "I have reminded him, time and again, that I will have to return to Hogwarts on September first, but I still find him staring at the wall weeping for hours..." he looked to Albus; "He is also obsessed with finding out the contents of Harry's Prophecy..."_

_Sirius looked to Severus; "There's a record?"_

_"In the Hall of Prophecy," Albus confirmed; "but only those to who the Prophecy refers can retrieve it..."_

_"Is it in the Department of Mysteries?" Remus asked, Albus nodded; "Harry has been having dreams about the door..."_

_"Isn't it time he knew, Albus?" Molly asked._

_"That he is to be murderer or victim?" asked Sirius; "No... I can understand waiting to tell him this... so much of his childhood was stolen from him..."_

_No one said anything for a few minutes before Albus spoke up._

_"Any word on what Fudge is planning?" he asked, looking to Kingsley._

_"Aside from promoting Percy to his office, no," replied Kingsley who looked to the Weasleys._

_"Percy is extremely proud of himself," Molly said, but there was no pride in her voice._

_"But it's not like we can tell him, yet, why he was promoted," Arthur added._

_"You believe Fudge intends to use him to spy on you?" asked Nym._

_"After what happened with Crouch?" Arthur said with a hint of humor._

_"Is Percy still living at home?" asked Nym._

_"He is," Molly replied; "for the time being, at any rate... that might change when Tom decides to reveal himself..."_

_"You think he'll side with the Ministry over his own family?" asked Sirius._

_"Don't get me wrong, I love all my children," Molly replied grimly; "but Percy is far too ambitious for his own good..."_

_"I'll keep my eye on him Molly, as much as I can anyway," offered Kingsley._

_"Thank you, Shack, we appreciate that," Arthur replied._

_Kingsley looked to Albus again; "I have a feeling I know who he intends to place at Hogwarts..." he looked to Remus; "Dolores Umbridge..."_

_"That dumb bitch who passed the new law preventing me from working?" asked Remus, his look darker than when they had discussed Greyback._

_"One and the same," he replied, then turned his attention back to Albus again; "Correct me if I'm wrong... but didn't she fail her Newt in Defence?"_

_"She did," Albus smiled; "twice..." he shook his head; "But what she lacks in magical ability she makes up for with cunning... she may not be a Death Eater but I doubt she will stand in their way..." he looked at his watch; "but it is getting late... is there anything else to be discussed?"_

_"How are Alice and Frank doing? I was hoping they might be here," asked Molly._

_"They're recovering nicely," Nym replied; "They're waiting until Neville's birthday to surprise him though..." she smiled; "they want to be as close to normal as possible before seeing him..."_

_"How, exactly, did they recover?" asked Sirius._

_"Barty Crouch Junior was innocent..." started Severus, "he placed the Longbottoms under an ancient curse after disabling the Lestranges in order to protect them," he shook his head sadly; "he deeply regrets that it took so long to free them."_

_"Why now?" asked Remus._

"_Because we all need all the support we can get," Severus replied as though it was the most obvious thing in the world._

_"Is that why you're acting like a normal human being? Garnering support for yourself?" Sirius asked, and although his question lacked heat, the distrust was obvious to Severus._

_"I do not need to justify my actions to you," Severus replied evenly; "But we are all here with a common goal, are we not?" he asked rhetorically. "I have acted the part I have had to act to try to protect those I care about... I knew Tom would come back and I want to see him dead and buried like the rest of you... do you think he would still trust me had I not acted the part that I have all these years?"_

_"You're the one who took the Prophecy to Voldemort in the first place," Sirius accused._

_"Had I known who he would target I would not have," Severus replied sadly, the pain obvious in his voice, "but, at the time, I let my desire to see him finished cloud my judgement... I had hoped the Prophecy would prove true and he would be ended..." he shook his head; "I can understand that you think me a monster... sending him to kill a child," he looked down at his hands; "I was there... just after it happened... I saw Peter, saw him crying, saw him about to try to kill Harry himself..." he looked to Sirius; "And then he saw you coming and ran..."_

_"Didn't you know he was Death Eater?" asked Nym._

_"No," Severus replied tonelessly; "After I found out he planned on killing the Potters and he planned on abducting Lily's parents to draw her out," he sighed; "He didn't trust me after they mysteriously died before he had a chance to abduct them..." he looked up, smiling; "Lily's parents are alive and well..."_

_"You must be kidding," Sirius said, unwilling to believe it was possible._

"_They are," Severus smiled; "I gave them a Draught of Living Death, faked their deaths, then moved them to America..." he smiled wider; "Neville won't be the only one getting a surprise on his birthday..."_

_"Wouldn't they be safer where they are?" asked Nym._

_"I have kept in contact with them, they want to come back to be with Harry," he smiled again; "And have a talk with their daughter about how Harry was treated..."_

_Nym looked down, trying to cover her grin. She already knew Hermione was planning on having a little chat with Petunia on Harry's birthday and she looked forward to the look on her face when she was backed up by the presumed dead Evans._

_"I think we'll leave it there, for the night," Albus suggested, then looked to Nym; "If I can have a further moment of your time Miss Tonks?" she nodded; "Good, then I will see you all in a week... be safe..."_

_"Sirius, Remus... a moment?" Severus asked, surprising them both, but they nodded and followed him from the room._

_"Can I assume you will be sharing this memory with them once you arrive in Paris?" asked Albus with a hint of amusement._

_Nym nodded._

_"Could I ask you to wait until you get back to Chateau Delacour?" he asked._

_"I'm sorry, Albus, if they ask, I will show them," Nym replied._

_"I understand," he smiled; "Your loyalty to them is admirable... may I send my daughter a message?" Nym nodded; "Hermione... please my child, don't fret about what you learn from this memory... we have everything as under control as possible... I love and miss you..."_

Hermione opened her eyes first, stood and walked away. Ginny and Nym both got up to talk to her.

"Love?" Nym said quietly.

"He's going to go after my parents..." she said angrily.

"He's still in no condition..." Ginny offered.

"They'll be long gone before he gets the chance," Nym assured her.

"I might as well tell the world about dear-old-dad..." Hermione sighed as she saw Helen walking towards them.

"You're already a target, love..." Ginny said carefully.

"But if he knows who her father is, it might just make him hesitate..." said Luna.

"We'll figure it out when we get back to Britain," Hermione said with a shake of her head.

"You lot ready to go?" asked Helen.

The five nodded their heads and followed. They were all worried about where Hermione's head was at as they could feel, not only her tension but could almost hear the wheels already turning.

"You okay?" asked Nym.

"Would you believe me if I said yes?" Hermione countered.

"Probably not," Nym replied and put her arm around Hermione's shoulders.

"Then don't ask," Hermione replied and walked ahead of them.

"Leave her," Ginny advised; "She's trying to put it on the backburner, but she's too angry right now..."

"You know her best," Nym said with a sigh; "I guess you all understand why I wanted to wait?"

"We do..." they replied.

"But thank you for sharing it anyway," added Ginny.

"I don't know that I should have..." Nym said with another sigh.

"No, Nym... you did the right thing..." Fleur assured her as she looked to Hermione and watched her climb into the waiting limo; "We're all angry and scared..."

"And what frightens us most is having those we love in danger and unable to do anything to protect them..." added Ginny.

They quieted as they joined Hermione, Cissy and Helen in the car.

_"We're not alone," _Nym thought to Hermione_; "and everyone is as safe as they can be..."_

Hermione smiled and nodded. She laced her fingers with Ginny's as she sat next to her then looked out the window. She was right, of course, but what frightened Hermione the most was the people putting themselves in danger. Severus, Remus, Hagrid... she shook her head. Those plans were already in motion and there was nothing she could do about it. She sighed, then put her head on Ginny's shoulder and closed her eyes.

"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change. The wisdom to accept the things I can't and the courage to change the things I can," she reminded herself and smiled. "We'll get through this," she thought.

**A/N: A little shorter than what has become the norm and originally I planned to have it be longer, but once I was done, I realized this chapter could stand alone. I have yet another new job and will be working graveyards from Friday to Monday but have little to no time at work to even write in my notebook... I will, however, try very very hard to get you all a chapter every Friday. Thanks all for reading and reviewing...**


	6. Chapter 6-Bunnies?

**A/N: Welcome to the new chapter and more revelations and fluff... enjoy!**

The girls had a pleasant afternoon as they enjoyed the sightseeing tour with their Muggle tour guide. Throughout the tour the others could tell Hermione was making an effort to be present and truly enjoy the sites, but as she had visited many of them with her parents two years ago, she found her thoughts drifting back to the memory of the Order meeting Nym had shared with them.

Hermione understood what her father was trying to do, however she wasn't sure she agreed with his methods and found herself starting to like Severus more than she thought possible for he had said many of the same things she likely would have said had she been given the chance.

She loved and respected Hagrid despite his dubious interest in dangerous magical creatures. Perhaps that was why she did like him, he cared about all living things and saw the beauty and value in them that others couldn't. But Severus was right, what had her father been thinking? Sending two magical half-giants to meet with their brutal kin? The giants feared and distrusted wizards and for very good reason... wizards had sent them into exile and killed those who would not cooperate. To send two half giants who had clearly been living with humans seemed foolhardy at best.

Hermione worried about Remus as well, but at least his plan had a chance of working. Assuming, of course, that Greyback was the current leader of the Werewolves, killing him would make Remus their new leader. He would, of course, have to deal with the other Werewolves trying to usurp his position, but as the new Alpha they would be forced, at the very least, to hear him out.

_"What do you know about the Wolfsbane potion, Luna?" _Hermione asked her in thought as they ascended the stairs of the iconic Eiffel Tower. _"Do you think there is a way to improve it?"_

_"Maybe,"_ Luna replied; _"Severus has been making it for Remus, right?"_

Nym nodded.

"I think we found a project to work on with Severus this year," Hermione said aloud.

"What are you hoping to accomplish?" asked Fleur.

"If we can find a way to make it more effective, and maybe more available..." Hermione replied thoughtfully.

"Then maybe Remus will have a real bargaining chip with them?" suggested Nym.

"Exactly," Hermione agreed, she smiled as she detected the faint trace of magic in the structure around them. "Can you guys feel that?"

They nodded.

_"There is no history of magic being used in its construction..." _provided Fleur.

_"It might just be noticeable because we're the only magicals for miles, but..." _started Hermione.

_"It's almost like it's a magnet... collecting trace amounts of magic from visitors over the last hundred years..." _suggested Ginny, trailing off as the Muggle tour guide went into her monologue about the Tower and its history.

Hermione found her thoughts drifting as she looked out over Paris. She was glad Nym had shared the memory of the Order meeting, but it had made her feel more helpless than ever. Yes, she was concerned about Remus and Hagrid, but what was plaguing her thoughts was the Prophecies of them and Harry. Her only consolation was that few people knew of Sybil's prophecy about them, or for that matter, the Amice Sisters. Maybe, she thought with a smile as she felt Ginny's arms snake around her waist from behind, they could use Tom's desire to hear Harry's prophecy against him and destroy evidence of their own in one fell swoop. It would be risky and the timing would have to be just right, but it could work.

As they descended the stairs Hermione began to worry about Tom's plans for her, but again, there was nothing she could do at the moment. It was some small comfort than Tom still hadn't contacted any of his former minions but that wouldn't last forever.

"So what's the plan for tonight Nym?" Hermione asked in an attempt to pull herself from her thoughts.

"Just a quiet night at Helen's," Nym replied; "I was thinking of making a quick a trip to Amsterdam... seemed to help you guys relax last night..." she put her hand on Hermione's shoulder; "Unless you'd just rather talk..."

"No..." Hermione replied with a shrug; "it can wait until we get back to the Chateau..."

"You sure, love?" Ginny asked, concerned as she had felt Hermione's growing tension all day.

"You want me to be able to put stuff on the back-burner and I'm trying... just let me, okay?" Hermione said, trying not to let her frustration show, but running down the stairs in front of them.

"She's doing it again..." Luna said sadly.

"Bottling it up... planning..." Ginny continued.

"Trying to make sure we have a good time," Luna finished with a shake of her head.

"Well, we have tried to make her our leader," Fleur said with a small smile.

"But I get the feeling what is really bothering her has nothing to do with the Order meeting," said Luna.

"Try and give her some credit... she's trying..." said Fleur.

They descended the rest of the stairs in silence and then joined Hermione, Cissy and Helen already waiting for them in the limo.

"Nym... when we get back the three of us need to prove to you that we can Apparate," said Hermione.

"When did you learn?" asked Nym.

"Last week, Fleur's mother helped us..." provided Ginny.

"Yes... only the lot of them can Apparate like bloody house elves," Cissy commented with a laugh.

"Seriously?" Nym asked, awestruck once again by the girl's abilities.

"Ginny figured it out," Hermione said proudly.

"We don't get the heart tug and it's much quicker," Ginny replied with a casual shrug despite blushing at Hermione's pride.

"Not to mention most places don't ward against house elf apparition," Nym added and thought to Hermione; _"You're going to have to teach me that one..."_

"I thought, maybe, we could watch one of the movies I bought yesterday? Shut off for a couple of hours?" Hermione suggested to the others surprise.

"You don't have to do this..." Ginny started.

"No, Shy... it's okay," Hermione said with a shake of her head; "There's no point in talking about it now... the earliest we can do anything about anything is when Nym heads back to Britain and that just leads me to think about Nym leaving us again and that makes me sad..."

Nym put her arm around Hermione's shoulders; _"I'll see you again on the thirty-first when we take Harry to Privet Drive."_

_"When are his grandparents getting here?" _Luna asked.

_"The twenty-eighth... they already know Sirius so they're going to stay with him," _Nym trailed off at the look of worry on Hermione's face; _"They'll be safe there... the Black family home in London is practically a magical fortress..."_

_"I thought Remus and Sirius were living in Hogsmeade?"_ asked Fleur.

_ "Most of the time, but they're using the family house for Order meetings because it's so well protected and more central for everyone to meet at... close to the Ministry..."_

"How's Harry doing?" asked Ginny as they pulled up to Helen's home.

"Remus and Sirius are keeping him busy," Nym smiled; "I think they're trying to make up for fifteen years of crappy summers in one," she put her arms around Hermione and Ginny's shoulders as they walked to the house; "I think they've also been trying to distract him..."

"From Tom?" asked Hermione.

"Yes... but he's also missing Morgan," Nym clarified.

"I remember that feeling," Hermione said wistfully; "The last time I was in France I hardly knew Ginny yet and I already missed her..."

"Same here..." Ginny agreed.

"Only difference? You were already in love with Hermione," Luna teased.

...

After dinner Nym made a quick trip to Amsterdam and, after rolling one very large joint, the five settled in to watch a movie in Fleur and Luna's room. Hermione curled up in one corner of the couch with Ginny in her arms while Fleur and Luna cuddled up similarly in the other corner. Nym lay with her head in Ginny's lap and her feet on Luna's.

As the movie started they passed the joint between them and, for a little while, Hermione was able to find her ever elusive back-burner. Soon, however, the wheels in her brain began to turn again. In an effort to not worry about the Order she had found herself thinking about a theory she had been working on for a long time.

"Earth to Hermione..." Ginny teased.

"Sorry... what?" So lost in thought was she that she hadn't noticed when the movie ended.

"I was asking if you're ready for bed or if you wanted to watch another movie?" Ginny asked.

Hermione looked at her watch; "Bed sounds good..."

The five stood and stretched, Ginny and Hermione sharing kisses and wishes for a good night with the others before leaving.

As they crossed the hall to their own bedroom Ginny could feel her fiancée's growing tension. She took Hermione into her arms once there and kissed her passionately, attempting to distract her from whatever it was that was bothering her.

Hermione broke the kiss first and searched Ginny's eyes a moment.

"Do you trust me?" she asked.

"You know that I do..." Ginny replied, her voice laced with concern. She could feel Hermione's heart racing and it wasn't from the kiss they had just shared, she was terrified. "What's wrong, Sun?"

"Nothing," Hermione replied unconvincingly before kissing her softly; "Yet..." she added before kissing Ginny's forehead and stepping away. She quickly wrote a note to the others on a scrap of parchment, left it where it could be found, then before Ginny could ask her what she was doing, put on her backpack. She took Ginny in her arms, and kissing her deeply, transported them both away.

Ginny had no idea where she was being taken, nor did she care as she was so consumed by Hermione's passionate kiss.

_"Keep your eyes closed,"_ Hermione thought to her, breaking the kiss when Ginny nodded, then frowned as she stepped away. She could feel Hermione's desire, but it was overshadowed by the fear that she was feeling.

Hermione stepped back and regarded her frowning fiancée a moment before closing her eyes and taking a deep steadying breath. She concentrated on their surroundings, again sensing the subtle magic within the very structure of the Eiffel Tower. She suppressed a chuckle as she felt their very annoyed Goblin guard catch up to them.

_"I beg your pardons, noble warriors,"_ she thought to them; _"We only desired privacy... we won't be long and I'll warn you when we're heading back..."_ she felt something like an acknowledgement from them and smiled... yes, they were annoyed, but they were also impressed with her ability and her sentiment.

She swallowed the fear she was feeling and tapped into the magic around her, transforming it to ensure both their safety and their privacy.

Just as she opened her eyes, she felt her coin grow warm in her pocket. She took it out and held it in the palm of her hand; _"What the fuck? Where are you?"_

_"Safe,"_ she replied; _"We'll be back soon." _

She knelt and removed a couple dozen candles from her bag and sent them to float around them on the highest platform of the Tower. Last, she took her tape player from her bag and turned on some soft classical music. The music wasn't just to set the mood... she wasn't taking any chances of being overheard.

Ginny was right, Hermione was terrified. More terrified than she had ever been before, and that was saying something considering all they had learned in the last two years, not to mention all she had personally faced in the last four.

She'd had many theories and they were more often right that wrong. It had been something she had considered before and today, while they were on their tour, she again found herself pondering it as she attempted to put other equally important and frightening thoughts aside. She was, if nothing else, determined that all her friends enjoy their trip.

Ginny had listened keenly as Hermione had moved around her, felt her deliberately attempting to calm her fear and slow her thoughts. She felt the wards go up around them as Hermione placed them, but far from making her feel safer, it worried her that Hermione was going to such lengths to ensure their privacy.

She felt a cool breeze cross her face and again tried to figure out where Hermione had brought her. She tapped into her wolf senses and could faintly hear the sound of cars until soft music drowned them out. She smelled the candle wax as Hermione lit them, then smiled when she felt her again draw close.

"Thank you for trusting me..." Hermione whispered in her ear, causing her to break out in goosebumps that she tenderly kissed away as she made her way to her lips and engaged her in a passionate kiss. When they had teased her that morning they had been almost right... only one thing could calm her mind, Ginny.

But Ginny knew her too well and pushed her away gently. She knew her fiancée wouldn't have gone to such lengths just to distract herself from whatever was causing her growing panic.

"Out with it... what's going on?" Ginny asked gently, gasping as she opened her eyes and saw Paris laid out below them.

"You like?" Hermione asked, attempting to sound seductive as she went to kiss the redhead's neck. "I almost took us to the cottage..." she whispered, her voice deep.

Now Ginny knew something was wrong... if Hermione was suggesting what she thought she was suggesting, whatever had her concerned, was very bad indeed. Gently she pushed her away again, despite the effect Hermione was having on her. She took her face in her hands, kissed her softly, then searched her eyes.

"What is it, Sun? What has you tied up in knots?" she pressed.

"This is dangerous, Shy..." Hermione replied with a heavy sigh; "If I'm right..."

"You usually are..." Ginny said, kissed her nose, then knelt to take out the bottle of mead she was sure Hermione had brought.

Hermione sat beside her, drew her knees to her chest and watched as Ginny chilled and opened the mead, her head propped on her knees.

"That's what scares me..." she finally answered, drawing Ginny's attention as her voice was trembling; "This... this could change everything..."

...

Luna, Fleur and Nym looked at each other a moment, suddenly shy and nervous about their first night together. Finally Fleur took Luna in her arms.

"Stop worrying about Hermione," Fleur chided her.

"You don't understand, Bee, she's doing what she did last summer... shutting us out... planning, but pretending everything is okay..." she frowned; "Shit... they didn't..."

"What's wrong?" asked Nym.

"The two of them... they're gone..." Luna replied angrily.

"I'll go check... maybe they left a note," Fleur offered, kissed Luna's cheek, and then went to do just that.

"Maybe they went to the cottage?" Nym suggested; "You did say the only thing that can distract Hermione is sex..."

"No... they'd have warned me..." Luna replied, but trailed off as Fleur returned with a scrap of parchment in her hand and gave it to Luna.

_"Ginny and I need to talk... be back soon, love, HGW."_

Nym had read the note as well and already had her coin in her hand and sent Hermione and Ginny a message; _"What the fuck? Where are you?"_

_"Safe... we'll be back soon,"_ came Hermione's reply.

Nym was about to throw the coin at the wall when it again became warm in her hand; _"Eiffel Tower... they're safe."_

Nym looked at her watch and chuckled; "I wondered why Hermione seemed so interested in the Tower's hours..."

"Figures," Luna said with a shake of her head; "I was keeping track of our guard as well... the closest they got to the base of the Tower was about fifty feet from it, and knowing Hermione, they're on the uppermost platform..."

"Shouldn't you be relieved they're okay?" asked Nym gently as she attempted to take Luna into her arms.

"No... Hermione took Ginny there for a reason," Luna shook her head; "I'm going to take a shower..."

"Okay... I'll..." Fleur started.

"Alone... I need to clear my head," Luna interrupted before kissing Nym then going to kiss Fleur softly.

Fleur watched Luna gather her things and head for the bathroom before turning to a perplexed Nym.

"Is she okay?" Nym asked.

"She will be," Fleur smiled as she walked over to Nym and put her hands on the older witch's hips; "As much as we enjoy spending every minute together..."

"Sometimes you need time alone?"

"Rarely, but yes," Fleur smiled; "besides... she's given us a few minutes alone... we should take advantage of it... yes?"

...

Ginny set the bottle aside and rushed to take a trembling Hermione in her arms, calming herself as she tried to soothe her normally brave and unflappable fiancée.

"I'm okay..." she said finally, pushing Ginny away and reaching for the mead. She took a long swallow straight from the bottle and offered it to Ginny. "I have a theory I've been working on for a while," she started, pausing to take another long gulp of mead when Ginny handed the bottle back to her. She set it aside and pulled Ginny's arms around her again. "Dad's comment about Tom's seventy percent being stronger than most people at a hundred got me to thinking about how the four of us would stack up..." she paused again as Ginny shifted so she could better see Hermione as she talked. Ginny kissed her cheek in encouragement, Hermione continuing with a small smile on her face; "There are three basic types of magicals..."

"Purebloods, Half-bloods and Muggleborns..." Ginny listed.

Hermione nodded.

"And within each of those multiple sub groups... but that isn't important now," she continued with a shake of her head, she wasn't sure just how long they should test their guards' patience and wanted to get to the point quickly. "When Minerva came to tell me, on my eleventh birthday, that I'm a witch, I had a lot of time to think about how that was possible," she kissed Ginny on the cheek again; "I used to think, that if you went far enough back in a Muggleborn's line, you'd find at least a Squib, but what if all people have the potential to be magical? What if a Muggleborn is born when two people have enough magic between them to create a magical child, but not enough individually to be one themselves..."

"Would that make Muggleborns the strongest of all three?" asked Ginny, beginning to put together the pieces of Hermione's fear.

"No," Hermione replied with a shake of her head; "It's not that cut and dry... but I think they're about equal to Purebloods," she sighed; "Purebloods are products of generations of magicals... each one tapping into their family's magic... when two whose magic has been tapped out reproduce..."

"A Squib is born," Ginny provided, Hermione nodded.

"Next we have to consider the nature of magic itself... Muggleborn magic is raw and unrefined, whereas Pureblood magic has evolved with each generation... Muggleborn magic is stronger but less precise..."

"And Pureblood magic is more accurate but slower?" Ginny asked.

"There are so many variables, but essentially, yes," Hermione confirmed; "Now, given that... who is strongest?"

"Half-bloods?" Ginny gasped.

"More specifically, one born of an ancient Pureblood line and a Muggleborn line with no magical relatives for centuries..." Hermione clarified, the look of fear growing on Ginny's face as she began to understand the implications.

"So that's why you're the strongest of us?"

"No, love, the four of us are about equal because of our soulmate connections, but," she paused; "Tom may not have been born a wizard at all if his father hadn't been a Muggle..."

"Wait... are you saying Harry is the strongest of us?"

"Individually... yes..." she kissed Ginny softly; "And once he bonds with Morgan?"

"Tom doesn't stand a chance..." Ginny replied thoughtfully and looked off into the distance as she pondered her mate's latest theory. "So what about me then? The youngest of seven Pureblood children?"

"That's where it gets even more dangerous for us personally," Hermione replied grimly; "What if there's also a difference between male and female magical energies? What if that explains why you're stronger than your brothers?"

"And part of the reason you and I, Fleur and Luna, have gotten stronger since we've started bonding?"

"Now... think, ten, or fifteen years down the road and we have a child using the Sister's magic?" Hermione smiled at Ginny's dawning comprehension, "one of the few ways Magicals are more advanced socially than Muggles is their acceptance of gays and lesbians..."

"Except among the more traditional Pureblood families..." Ginny amended.

"Mostly because they're so adamant about continuing their family lines," Hermione smiled, then kissed Ginny; "It also explains why we've all gotten a little stronger since Nym has starting bonding with us and adding her magic to the mix..." she held Ginny a little tighter as she checked on her increasingly annoyed guard; "We should head back... our 'guard' is getting restless..."

"Love? I understand why you're so worried, but..."

"Why bring us here?" Hermione provided, Ginny nodding as she watched her stand, then offer her hand to help her do the same. "I was scanning all day, and between us being us so high, no tunnels anywhere close to the Tower and the wards I placed using the structure's own magic..."

"And no can hear us?"

Hermione nodded and took her in her arms again; "It was either here or the cottage," she kissed her softly; "but I knew if we went there we wouldn't want to leave again until school started..."

"Maybe not even then," Ginny replied, her voice low again. "How worried are you? About Tom and our Prophecy?"

"Very," she admitted, kissed her softly, then stepped away to gather their things and dispel the wards she had placed. "That's why I got to thinking about the nature of magic today..."

"You did seem distracted, but we figured you were thinking about the Order..."

"I can't dwell on that now," she replied as she extinguished, then vanished the candles; "because there's nothing we can do from here..." she took Ginny into her arms again and smiled; "Ready to face the wrath of Luna?"

"She's going to be pissed..." Ginny agreed.

"We'll find a way to make it up to her," Hermione assured her, then let their guard know they were heading back. "I love you, Shy, thanks for listening..."

"Anytime, Sun..." she kissed her softly as Hermione transported them back to their bedroom; "You are amazing though... you know that, right?"

Before Hermione could do anything more than blush, Luna barged into their room without knocking, her face furious. Ginny and Hermione instinctively took a step back, their hands up in a defensive position, palms facing her, ready to defend themselves from Luna's physical assault if needed.

Luna stopped in her tracks and considered her two friends as she felt their emotions wash over her, "What's wrong?"

"Luna, I'm sorry, it was my idea..." Hermione said as she tentatively approached Luna.

"Just tell me what's wrong," Luna repeated as she held Hermione at arm's length.

"Nothing's wrong, exactly..." Hermione replied as she motioned Fleur and Nym closer and motioned them to complete their circle; "But I think you'll understand why I felt the need for absolute privacy while we talked it out when I share the memory..."

Wordlessly they completed their circle, Hermione sharing her memory as soon as she felt they were ready.

"Shit H..." Nym said quietly.

"Why can't it, for once, be bunnies?" Luna asked thoughtfully, causing them all to laugh. "I'm just saying..." she shook her head; "I mean this... this is even bigger than what I was worrying about..."

"Loony?" Ginny asked, growing serious as she went to put her arms around her best friend.

"My dad," she sighed; "He found evidence that Lycanthropy can be cured..." she paused at the skeptical looks on their faces; "I know... but most fables have a basis in truth... if there's even a chance... Remus needs to know..."

"Luna..." Hermione started.

"The fable states that if a Werewolf kills their maker they'll be cured," Luna stated.

"Shit," Nym gasped; "Fuck fuck fuck..."

"I'm sorry... why is this a bad thing?" asked Ginny; "Wouldn't Remus be happy to cured?"

"And what happens when the Werewolves realize their new Alpha is human again?" countered Hermione.

"Or how he accomplished it?" added Fleur.

"Chaos..." breathed Luna.

"And Remus would be in even more danger," Ginny said, horrified at the realization.

Nym took her coin from her pocket and sent a quick message to Remus, warning him not to proceed with his plan until they had a chance to talk, sighing in relief when she received his reply immediately.

"He's agreed to wait until I get home," Nym assured them; "Thank God for these coins..."

Luna walked away from the others, Ginny going to put her arms around her.

"I'm sorry we didn't take you with us," she said quietly.

"I was only ever a little angry," Luna replied with a smile; "but only because I thought you two were off having sex without warning me..." she sighed; "Maybe I was a little jealous..." she confided.

Hermione walked over and took Luna's face in her hands.

"Jealous why?" she prodded.

"I miss us... the three of us sometimes," Luna replied as she looked to Fleur; "You know... the three of us figuring things out..."

"I was thinking," Ginny said as she leaned in to kiss Luna's neck.

"Maybe the three of us could go for a run in the morning?" Hermione suggested, her voice betraying what she was really thinking.

"Or maybe you could come crawl into bed with us in the morning..." started Ginny.

"And we could make it up to you?" asked Hermione before drawing Luna into a kiss.

Luna broke the kiss and looked to Fleur, whose eyes were betraying her desire, and Nym, who looked completely confounded.

"Would you be okay with that, love?" she asked her.

Fleur walked over and searched Luna's eyes; "I'd of suggested it myself, but I was worried how you would feel about me spending time alone with Nym..."

"After tonight I think I'll be okay with it," Luna replied and kissed her; "Nym... of course you get a say... are you okay with that?"

"I am..." Nym replied, clearing her throat before she continued; "more than okay with that..." she smiled; "I thought you'd be relieved if they'd had sex..."

"Maybe... but we all get stronger when we powersurge and I'd like a little more warning..." Luna explained.

"You were looking forward to smacking us when we got back, weren't you?" Ginny teased.

"Yes... if I hadn't felt the waves of fear coming from you both it would have almost been funny... Hermione afraid of me?" Luna replied with a laugh.

"I don't know, Looney... you're pretty scary when you're angry..." teased Hermione.

"Pretty funny coming from she who destroyed almost every stick of furniture in our quarters and punched a hole in the wall with her bare hand," Luna teased back.

"Can I ask something?" Nym asked, continuing at their nods of encouragement; "Your theory... does that mean, that individually, I'm the strongest?"

"Yes... and I think we're part of the reason you've balanced out... have more control over your magic now," Hermione replied; "because you're sharing with us..."

"Stopped being such a clutz you mean?" Nym joked.

"This... what we have... is beneficial to all of us," said Hermione; "I firmly believe you're the reason I was able to achieve my wolf form... I picked up the ability from you..."

"Seems fair..." Nym replied, taking Hermione into her arms; "You've all taught me so much already..."

"Yeah? Like what?" Hermione asked.

"French... for one..." she replied, then kissed Hermione's neck.

"To believe in yourself for another?" asked Fleur gently as she placed a kiss on her neck.

"C'mon... it's getting late and I have a feeling we won't be going to sleep anytime soon," Luna joked, then took Fleur and Nym's hands; "And I could really some distraction myself..."

"I think we can manage that," Fleur assured her before she kissed Hermione and Ginny.

"Don't forget the silencing charms," joked Hermione, who was tickled, then kissed by Nym.

More kisses were shared before Nym, Fleur, and Luna left Hermione and Ginny to their own devices.

"You okay, love?" asked Ginny.

"I will be," she replied and reached for the hem of Ginny's shirt, her voice lowering again. She kissed her softly; "You guys were wrong this morning..." she started as she lifted Ginny's shirt and vest over her head, then kissed her before continuing; "sex isn't what distracts me..." she went to fondle both her breasts; "sex with _you_ is the only thing that calms my mind..."

...

As Nym followed Luna and Fleur back across the hall to their bedroom, she couldn't help but appreciate the view and felt her desire and nerves return with renewed tenacity. In an attempt to stem her feelings she took Luna into her arms.

"Are you okay?" Nym asked.

"I will be..." Luna said with a sigh.

"What you have to understand, is that, between the five of us, there are circles within circles," Fleur started.

"First... it was me and Ginny... then me, Ginny, and Hermione..." continued Luna, picking up the thread.

"Then the four of us and all the different connections between us," added Fleur.

"So I'm here so you guys won't feel guilty about leaving your mate to strengthen these other connections?" Nym asked as she tried to figure out how she felt about that.

"Bluntly? Yes..." Luna said with a smile.

"But because you helped us to recognize these other connections and their importance," Fleur assured her.

"And the ability to explore them..." Luna continued.

"That is how you have brought us balance," Fleur said, then went to stand behind her and kissed her neck; "Never doubt how much we care about you..."

"Or how important you are to us," Luna said before kissing her softly.

"And you've all brought me balance too..." Nym said softly, just realizing how important the four of them had become to her. The last two days in their presence had been two of the happiest days in her life. Sure, they were all worried and scared, but she was happy. They had accepted her without question and never missed an opportunity to show her how loved she was.

"You're worried about going further with us than you have with them?" Luna asked, a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Why is that funny?" Nym asked a little defensively, Luna had hit the nail on the head and it was slightly unnerving. She found herself confused so many times over the course of the night that she'd lost count. Perhaps, she thought to herself, it was just because the four of them knew each other so well and she was still getting to know them, still coming to understand how their relationship worked and where she fit.

"Your promise to Hermione and Ginny," Fleur prodded as she showed her the ring on her right hand; "it won't let you do anything they're not comfortable with..."

"And our Promise to them," Luna said, showing Nym her Promise/engagement ring on her left hand; "won't let us either..."

"The four of you are blood bonded?" Nym asked, suddenly realizing the depth of the devotion between the four of them.

"Yes," Luna said, pleased that Nym understood the significance of such a bond. It displayed their commitment to each other, their undying mission to love and protect each other.

"But they don't quite work the way they used to," Fleur confided, as she reached around Nym and transfigured Luna's nightgown into something similar to what Nym was wearing- a pair of boy's boxers and a tank top, both made of the same silk as her nightgown.

"We've been fairly sated by what we can already do," Luna provided as she returned Fleur's favour and transfigured her nightgown as well, only neglecting her top.

"But if we ever question what is happening..." Fleur started.

"The rings let you know, deep down, that you're all okay with it?" Nym deduced.

"And your promise to them connects you to us," Luna added softly then kissed her.

Nym pulled away as she felt a pair of hands snaking beneath her top, a wave of desire almost buckling her knees.

"No projecting... please?" Nym all but begged; "I don't think I can handle it..."

"That's why it's happening..." Luna said with a small laugh; "Ginny projected to you both again last night... didn't she?" Nym blushed and nodded; "Did Hermione project too?" Luna prodded, Nym smiled and nodded again. "You've connected in another way..."

"On a deep and possibly ancient magical level," Fleur added, her hands slowly inching towards Nym's breasts.

"You're hoping to see more memories?" asked Nym.

"It would be nice to confirm the theory..." Luna said with a smile.

"Still..." Nym replied uncertainly as she played with the hem of Luna's shirt.

"I have an idea," Fleur whispered, her voice low and filled with want, smiling as she stepped from behind Nym and the older witch saw her state of undress as she went to stand behind Luna. She looked Nym in the eye as she took Luna's top off and tossed it aside. "Maybe," she kissed Luna's neck ,causing the younger woman to extend her neck back and lie it on her mate's shoulder as Fleur's hands came up to cup both of her breasts, Luna moaning as she began to play with the already erect nipples.

"Maybe... you could watch us?" Luna suggested, her voice choked with desire.

Fleur reached over and cupping Nym's ass, pulled her towards them, "Feel free to join us..."

"Or at least..."

"Take care of myself?" Nym asked with a dry laugh and received their smiles and nods.

Not another word was spoken as Fleur and Luna led Nym to the bed. They let her hands go then vanished each others clothes as they climbed on the bed, Nym standing in stunned silence as she was once again almost overwhelmed by her desire.

Luna patted the bed beside them in invitation, urging Nym to at least join them on the bed.

Nym smiled and took the hint, her hair and face reddening at having been caught staring. To cover her embarrassment she took off her shirt, tossed it aside, then settled herself on the bottom corner of their bed.

Nym sat, transfixed, as she watched the two blondes lose themselves in each other, so paralysed by her own desire she couldn't move to sate the growing ache between her legs. She felt a wave of their love and passion as Fleur reached between her own legs, lengthened two of her fingers and inserted them into herself. Luna arched her hips up, pressing her own need into her lover's forearm. If Nym were to try to describe what pure love and passion looked like all she would have to do was remember this moment.

Finally, unable to ignore her own want any longer, Nym lengthened three of her fingers as Fleur had done and reached between her own legs, biting her lower lip to stifle a moan as she found herself already dripping. She'd barely begun when the two blondes began to shudder and gasp as they reached their mutual climax and sent Nym another wave of love and desire, Nym having to shield her eyes as Fleur glowed so brightly.

Nym lowered her hand, but as it was still very bright, kept her eyes closed as she felt movement beside her.

"Enjoy the show?" Fleur whispered into her ear.

"Let us help you?" added Luna.

Nym nodded and allowed herself to be laid on the bed between them. She felt a pair of lips on her left nipple, a hand on her other, as a pair of lips teased her own open then engaged her in a deep kiss. Almost as an afterthought, she remembered the hand between her legs and started pleasuring herself again, a hand now on top of her own, encouraging her to give into her desire.

As she felt wetness on each of her thighs, Luna and Fleur using the friction to hasten their own orgasms, she felt her own climax approaching its peak.

"Oh shit..." Nym thought; "Not ag..." and they blacked out as they enjoyed the sensations washing over them.

_"I don't understand," Aiofe whined; "Why do you have to go?"_

_ "Because I am dying, love," Celeste replied gently as she took the crying woman into her arms; "And it is becoming dangerous for me to be around you..."_

_ "But we can try again," Aiofe pleaded, ignoring Celeste's last comment._

_ "Emilie and I have been trying almost as long as you have been alive, child, it's past time to accept defeat and return to my people before it is too late..." she reached down and lifted Aiofe's chin with her finger; "I love you both so much... I couldn't bear it if I hurt you..."_

_ "Then don't go..." Aiofe retorted angrily and went to walk away._

_ "Please, child, understand... I would stay if I could..." Celeste pleaded as she attempted to take her in her arms again; "I am barely holding it together... I can't..." she began to sob; "I can't bear another miscarriage... not now..."_

_ "Then we'll go with you..." Aiofe said as she rushed to comfort her._

_ "You can't..." Celeste shook her head; "they would never accept you..." she added with a shake of her head as she attempted to marshal her ever fluctuating emotions. "Please, love, stay here, build a life with Emilie... be happy..." she kissed her softly then added; "for me?"_

_ They stared into each others eyes, Aiofe finally nodding sadly and allowed Celeste to pull her closer._

_ "Starting without me?" Emilie teased as she took them both in her arms._

_ "She's leaving... tonight..." Aiofe choked out, her face now covered in tears as she began to accept Celeste's departure._

_ "One more night?" asked Emilie; "Please? After all this time?_

_"I never could deny you..." Celeste sighed; "In the morning then..." she relented._

_ "There's a first for everything..." Emelie replied; "You're not letting us join you..."_

_ "Your place is here," Celeste said then kissed her; "With Aiofe... you both have many years left to build a life together... it gives me great comfort knowing that the two greatest loves of my life will be happy and taken care of..." she kissed them both; "No one will ever replace you..."_

_ "Just come back to us... someday... if you can?" Aiofe begged._

_ "I will always find you," she assured them; "Always..."_

**A/N 2: Bonus points to anyone who caught the 'Buffy' reference. ;-) to danisnape**


	7. Chapter 7-I Want You Now

** A/N: I'd planned for this to be longer, but I want to do the events of the next chapter justice. In case you hadn't already guessed, the girls are really growing up and it's very evident in this chapter ;-). Oh, and for added enjoyment listen to the song, "I Want You Now," by Depeche Mode during the club scene. Enjoy! **

_Celeste woke, her blood on fire, her body covered in sweat. She'd waited too long. She should have left years ago and now it was too late. "No..." she hissed, panicking as she tumbled from the bed. She stood quickly, fumbling for her clothes before looking back to the bed. Rage and jealousy almost overwhelming her fear... the sight of her two lovers asleep in each others arms normally soothed her ,but now she stepped back as visions of the two dead at her hands, torn limb from limb, swam before her._

_ She backed towards the door, dressing herself as she did, her hands trembling in barely suppressed rage. She looked to her hands to find them talon-like and engulfed in flame. She drew her razor-sharp claws of her right hand across the forearm of her left in an attempt to stem the urge to kill those she loved most. Tears streaming down her face as the blood pooled at her feet._

_ "Go... love..." Emilie urged from the bed as she held a struggling Aiofe from running to her._

_ Celeste met their eyes briefly, their terror and sadness in equal evidence. She nodded, then turned and fled from their home. Reaching the outdoors, she took to the air._

_ Aoife and Emilie ran after her, bed sheets covering their bodies as they stopped at the door. They watched in horror as Celeste flew directly towards the rising sun, her fate only revealed when they saw a flash of light and her ashes float down._

_ "No!" they both yelled and sank to the ground._

Nym, Luna and Fleur all woke and pulled each other close, all their faces wet with tears with no need to explain why.

"What is it? What's going on?" Hermione said in a rush as she and Ginny burst into the room, wands drawn despite both being stark naked.

"Dream..." said Luna, her voice rough from crying.

Hermione and Ginny put their wands aside and went to comfort their friends. Ginny joined Fleur and Luna while Hermione went to hold Nym.

"Share it with you?" asked Nym, taking Hermione's hand when she nodded.

Hermione took Ginny's hand as Nym shared both dreams, neither of them having to ask why the three were upset when they reached their end.

"Promise me..." Luna said quietly as she stared into Fleur's eyes.

"I am more human than Veela, love, I'll be okay..." Fleur assured.

"But..."

"I promise we will have children long before that happens," Fleur said as she pulled Luna even closer.

"But they tried..." Luna countered.

"It is the irony of Veela biology," Fleur replied calmly as she wiped away Luna's tears, Ginny holding her from behind. "While their biology encourages them to have children it is actually very difficult for them to conceive;" she kissed Luna softly; "Unless they find their one true mate..."

"But how did the Veela survive at all?" Hermione asked.

"I said 'difficult', not impossible," Fleur said with a smile; "If two Veela love each other enough their chances are better, but it is far more common among male/female pairings..."

"More biology, less magic?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, and while I'm sure Celeste's miscarriages were emotionally devastating they're probably what kept her alive too;" Fleur explained as she continued to stroke Luna's cheek, trying to calm her; "From whose point of view did you see the memory?"

"Celeste's," Luna replied with a small smile.

"We must have been sharing a body too," said Fleur.

"Sure does explain a lot," Ginny said with a sigh.

"Like why Fleur, who loves Nym as much as I do, has always felt a little jealous?" Hermione asked with a smile.

"Luna?" Ginny said quietly; "Don't feel sad about what happened to Celeste... she knew what she was doing..."

"She stayed because she loved them and in the end, it's what killed her," Luna said sadly.

"Yes... but I think she stayed longer than she should have because she didn't want to live without them... I'm not going anywhere, Moon, ever..." Fleur assured her. "We're going to have a whole bunch of children and live a long and happy life together... understood?"

"The past may explain why we feel the different connections that we do... but we choose whether or not to indulge them," Hermione reminded them. She kissed Nym on the cheek. "What's the plan for today?" she said, changing the subject and lightening the mood.

"We have a private tour of the Louvre this afternoon, some more shopping, dinner and dancing..." Nym listed.

"_More_ shopping?" teased Luna.

"Well, I have a specific shop I want to go to," said Nym as she pulled herself from Hermione's arms and went to retrieve her bag.

She took a small box from her bag, then rejoined them on the bed.

"What are they?" Luna asked once Nym had opened the box to reveal, what looked like, five slightly larger than normal earrings made of the finest Goblin silver.

"Nipple rings," Nym said, blushing slightly. "I've been with a few Muggle girls who had them and they really seemed to enjoy having them played with."

Hermione took one from the box for a closer look.

"There's a charm on them," Hermione stated.

"They'll let us always find each other, all five of us..." Nym replied with a smile. "You have your Amice rings and Promise rings... I thought it would be nice if all five of us had something matching..."

"And we'd be able to play with them right away with Ginny's healing," Hermione said thoughtfully.

"I'll understand if you don't want to," Nym offered.

"Is it painful? The piercing?" asked Ginny.

"I don't know," Nym said with a shrug; "the girls I met said it really hurts but it's pretty brief."

"I like it," Hermione stated; "It's kind of like the five of us and our relationship... important, intimate and kept private..."

"I don't know..." Luna said.

"It's not that I don't appreciate the thought," Fleur continued.

"Just not sure about the pain part," Luna finished.

"Thought you liked a little pain?" teased Ginny, causing Luna to blush deeply.

"Well... yes... but..." Luna spluttered.

"I can take the pain for you," Ginny offered and kissed her cheek; "I can do that for all of you if you like..."

"You'll need to be careful, though, it is a Muggle shop after all..." Nym warned them.

"I can take the pain while it's being done, then heal it as soon as you're clothed," Ginny amended.

"Nym..." Fleur said finally; "Thank you..." she reached for her hand; "I'm really happy you came into our lives again..."

...

They went their separate ways, Nym finally agreeing to shower with Ginny and Hermione while Fleur and Luna took comfort in each others arms in the privacy of their own. Neither could shake Celeste's feelings just before she had caused her flames to engulf her. They hadn't told the others that part, that Celeste had a choice. She could have lived, but she couldn't live without the two women she loved.

"Moon?" Fleur said quietly as they stood, just holding each other under the warm water.

Luna looked up, resting her chin on Fleur's chest.

"Do you think..." Luna said as she took Fleur's left arm, her scars now barely visible thanks to Ginny's healing; "you did this because Celeste had?"

"You're asking me if I'd have taken my life if I hadn't met you when I did?" Fleur asked gently, getting to the heart of the matter. Luna nodded slowly. "I thought about it... a lot... but I couldn't do it..."

Luna pulled her closer as she asked; "Do you ever still feel that way?"

Fleur was surprised at the question and pulled away to hold Luna's face in her hands.

"You have given me everything to live for..." she kissed her softly; "I love you Luna Lovegood... always have... always will..." Fleur sighed, their soulmate connection forcing her to be completely honest; "But if you died, love, I wouldn't be far behind..."

As much as Luna wanted to admonish her for admitting to it, she couldn't because she felt the same. She shook her head and pulled Fleur close again.

"Well... good thing we're never going to find out 'cause I don't ever intend to let you go..." Luna said, her voice low and serious; "Ever..."

...

Nym was nervous, so nervous it was readily evident to Ginny and Hermione. There was a reason she hadn't been completely naked in front of them and she worried how they would react.

"Love? You don't have to join us if you're not ready?" Hermione offered.

Nym sighed and sat on the edge of the bath tub.

"It's not that I don't want to," Nym said with a sigh; "It's just..." she looked down at her hands; "when I was younger, and couldn't find a willing partner... well, I masturbated... a lot..." she admitted haltingly; "I found it more, um, satisfying if I had... you know... boy parts..."

Hermione and Ginny looked to each other before Hermione went to take Nym's face in her hands and lifted her face so she could meet her eyes.

"So?" Hermione asked.

"So... sometimes... when I get really turned on..." Nym explained.

"But, you haven't..." Hermione blushed; "I mean, I haven't noticed..."

"No," she laughed; "I've gotten more control over it as I've gotten older, but sometimes I, uh, get lost in what's happening..."

"Love?" Hermione said quietly; "We love you and that means we love all of you... no matter what shape you take... okay?" she kissed her softly; "I think part of the reason it hasn't happened with us is because of our Promise rings..."

"Intent?" Nym asked.

"Yes..."

"Does that mean, now that you know, it might happen?" Nym asked.

"Honestly, Nym," Ginny said as she sat down beside her; "I think you're more worried about it than we are..."

"And we can just shower," offered Hermione.

"God, I'm going to be so relieved when we no longer need to hold back... when I can show you all how much your love and acceptance means to me..." Nym said, tears slowly falling down her face.

"If I ever meet the person who made you feel like anything less than the amazing, sexy, loving, intelligent, woman that you are..." Hermione started.

"They'd better run..." Ginny finished.

...

Cissy, Helen, JP and Kira were talking quietly when the girls finally joined them. It was odd to them- Ginny, Hermione and Nym were all wearing similar shy smiles while Luna and Fleur seemed to be trying to seem happy despite a sadness that seemed to lie underneath.

"What happened to putting everything on hold?" Cissy asked lightly.

"That's generally easier said than done," Hermione replied with a light laugh; "but we've been trying..."

"I know," Cissy assured them; "but the five of you are still walking around like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders... it's not just your burden to bear you know."

"We know..." Ginny agreed; "but when you have a mind like Hermione here..."

"It rarely shuts off," Hermione finished for her.

"It's not that we don't appreciate everything you've done for us," Luna added.

"No," Helen said as she shook her hand; "we only came up with the ideas... you can thank Dora for the actual planning."

"And you're worried about showing us how much you love us?" Hermione whispered in Nym's ear, causing her to blush.

"I only did what I had to, to try to at least, ease your minds while we're here," Nym replied.

"And we appreciate it," replied Ginny.

They left for their private tour of the Lourve a little while later, the girls all quiet and lost in their own thoughts during the trip. They did, however, manage to put them on hold for a few hours as they wandered the almost eerily quiet museum admiring the various pieces of artwork. Every so often Hermione would smile, sensing a subtle magic to some of the paintings. Luna especially enjoyed the tour, taking inspiration for the many paintings she planned on doing once they'd reached the cottage.

Next Jean-Phillip drove them to a magical shop in the very heart of Paris, Hermione and the others surprised to see it was a wand shop.

"Isn't there a magical shopping district in France?" Hermione asked.

"No... the shops are hidden among the Muggle shops, but only Magicals can see them," Helen explained.

"And, since Posh broke my wand..." Cissy smiled; "And I have no desire to partake in your next destination, we will meet after for dinner..."

"You told her?" Hermione said, looking to Nym.

"Well... I thought she wouldn't want to be there," Nym replied with a smile; "and it already cost me a fair bit to convince the piercer to allow all five of us in the room..."

"Will you be okay on your own?" asked Luna.

"With Posh put out of his misery and Tom barely functioning?" Nym replied with a laugh.

"We'll have JP come back and wait for you," suggested Hermione.

"That really isn't..." Cissy started, but seeing that Hermione was about to interrupt, decided it might be best to concede defeat; "Alright then..." she said then patted Hermione's knee; "I know you're just trying to watch out for us..."

"We've come to care about all three of you," Luna said.

"We don't want anything to happen to any of you," concluded Ginny.

Cissy and Helen considered the five girls for a moment, the irony of them protecting the older two was not lost on either of them. In just the short time they had gotten to know them, even just in the past few days, they'd watch them continue to grow and mature. The two older witches, however, held no reservations of the five of them being off on their own for they had no doubt that they would do anything needed to protect each other. In fact, their protective natures had allowed the older two to relax and enjoy their trip even more than they might have.

A short trip later the girls climbed from the limo after asking JP to be back in two hours. They each took a deep breath before Nym led them into the store. They found the shop's atmosphere and cleanliness comforting as they approached the counter.

"Hello, I believe you have an appointment for us, under the name O'Conner?" Nym asked, causing Hermione to smirk.

_"Leave it to Nym,"_ she thought to them all; _"to name herself after the actress who played Gabrielle..."_

_"I thought it would be safer,"_ Nym replied defensively; _"Not using our real names..."_

_"Of course, love, I was just teasing,"_ Hermione replied with a kiss on her cheek.

"You are all of age, yes?" the piercer asked in heavily accented English.

Ginny, Luna and Fleur each adjusted their magic slightly so their age was no longer a question, each of them smiling slightly at the irony of having to appear older than they were for a change.

Nym smiled as she assured the woman that they were and handed her the box with their new jewelry. "They're already sterilized," Hermione assured her. They weren't, but with Ginny's ability they didn't need to be and Hermione was worried what the autoclave might do to the charm Nym had placed on them.

"I've never seen steel quite like this," the woman said thoughtfully; "No matter... shall we begin? Who is first?"

"Since it was my idea," Nym replied with a smile; "I guess, me..."

"Only two of you near the chair at one time," the woman informed them as she led the to a curtained area in the back.

Nym pulled her shirt and vest over her head, trying to look braver than she felt. Sure, there were times she also enjoyed a little pain, but she wasn't a big fan of it most of the time. Ginny took her hand and gave it a squeeze.

_"Let me feel a bit of it?"_ Nym thought to her, Ginny smiled and nodded.

_"Actually... that's a good idea,"_ Hermione agreed but noticed Luna and Fleur nodding a little slower.

_"Squeeze my hand if it gets too bad,"_ Ginny advised them.

Hermione went to take Nym's other hand.

"Left or right?" the piercer asked.

"Left," the five replied without a thought, then laughed.

"Spend a lot of time together, do you?" the piercer teased.

"You could say so..." Nym replied, then hissed as a clamp was attached to her left nipple; "It was cold..." she explained.

"It helps," the piercer explained; "numbs it slightly before the really painful part..." she smiled encouragingly; "I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself, Celeste..." she said, poking the thick needle through Nym's nipple while they were all distracted.

Ginny felt Nym squeeze her hand and eased her pain for her as they all watched Celeste pull the jewelry through the new hole.

"You're done... who's next?" Celeste asked.

"I'll go..." Hermione offered and took Nym's place once she had also taken off her shirt and vest. One by one the girls each had their nipples pierced, Ginny taking the pain for them, then healing them surreptitiously as the next took their place. As Ginny took her place Celeste studied the five young women, smirking slightly as she recognized the identical looks of barely controlled lust. Pain tended to have that effect on some people.

"Now remember, it takes up to a full year to heal properly," she informed them; "but you should be able to start enjoying them in a month or two..." she put the clamp on Ginny's nipple; "but follow my aftercare instructions and you can cut that time considerably."

What Celeste didn't know, of course, was that they would likely be testing them out sooner rather than later.

As the needle pierced her nipple Ginny winced and forced herself not to heal herself immediately. Hermione leaned down to whisper into her ear, trying to distract Ginny while her new jewelry was put in place; "Doesn't seem fair... you bear our pain but we can't help with yours..."

"Make it up to me later," Ginny teased, sighing in relief as Celeste patted her knee to let her know she was done.

Although Nym had already paid for their piercings Hermione gave Celeste a very large tip. She felt badly about manipulating her with her gift and wanted to assuage her guilt somewhat.

"Well, that didn't take nearly..." Hermione said, pausing when she noticed the mischievous look on Nym's face; "You planned that didn't you? What have you got up your sleeve?"

"A magical shop near where Cissy and Helen are," she replied, purposefully vague as she led them to an empty alley way. "Ready to test these out?" Nym asked.

"Right here?" Hermione asked, her voice already low, as she pushed her up against the wall.

"No... I'm suggesting we apparate to our next stop..." Nym replied, her own desire already evident.

"Oh..." Hermione replied, then kissed her neck, lingering a moment before stepping back. "Well, go on then..."

Nym shook her head, kissed Hermione briefly, then apparated away.

Hermione concentrated a moment, located Nym then apparated to her with Ginny, Luna and Fleur right behind them.

"C'mon..." Nym said, taking both Ginny and Hermione's hands and led them to a distinctly magical shop, the four younger women immediately adjusting their magic as they entered to avoid anyone from recognizing them. They, however, stopped dead in their tracks when they realized just what kind of shop Nym had taken them to.

"I figured you'd feel more comfortable buying something from here than the shop in Hogsmeade," Nym said with a smile; "Besides," she said, whispering to Hermione and Ginny; "these things feel pretty real... maybe you'll understand what I was talking about this morning..."

"Hi there... first time shoppers?" asked a pretty young woman with short spiky hair in French.

"For them," Nym teased in French.

"Well, let me show you the basics..." the saleswoman offered as she led them to a wall full of dildos. "If money isn't an issue I would suggest these ones..." she said as she picked up a lurid pink toy. "The charms on it are incredible... not only does it feel completely real for both partners it auto-adjusts to the person it's inside of for maximum pleasure," she recited matter-of-factly. Far from off-putting, her professional demeanour put them at ease. "And," she said as she picked up another 'toy', this one double ended; "for when you're feeling a little more adventurous... with this one you feel both sensations at once..."

"We'll take five of each," Hermione said, trying to keep her voice even.

"But do they come in different colours?" asked Fleur.

"They do," she answered and showed them the different options, each of them picking their partners favourite colours, except for Nym, who fittingly picked one combining all four of their colours as well as one of her own.

...

The seven witches, JP and Kira were relaxing on the back porch when, around eight o'clock, Hermione suggested they start getting ready for their night out dancing, prompting Nym to laugh and comment; "You don't want to get there as soon as the club opens, silly... you want to wait until at least ten or eleven when it's packed with bodies..." trailing off when she noticed Luna and Hermione looking somewhat uncomfortable.

"We'd rather go earlier if it's all the same to you," Helen replied as the silence stretched, her hand over Cissy's belly; "have an early night..."

"Sure... I guess we should get ready," Nym replied as she stood, the others following her inside. Once they reached Hermione and Ginny's bedroom Nym asked; "What gives?"

"Hermione and I still get nervous in big crowds," answered Luna as she and Fleur entered carrying their outfits for the night.

"But I thought your rings helped with that?" Nym asked.

"They do," replied Hermione; "But I took the mine off just before the riot at the World Cup last summer and it's not an experience I want to repeat anytime soon."

"We get scared the rings might fail," Luna added; "and I've never been a big fan of crowds anyway..."

"Fair enough," Nym replied as she went to hug Hermione. "I'm sorry... I didn't realize..." she smiled as Hermione kissed her. "Guess it doesn't matter... I already know whose bed I want to be in tonight..."

The five finished dressing in silence while passing around a joint Nym had rolled for them. Ginny was starting to worry about her fiancée's new crutch, but since it did actually see to help her relax, she decided not to say anything.

"You should give Severus some of this when you get back," Hermione commented as she took the joint from Nym; "much nicer than the stuff he gave us..."

"Since he relies on the stuff he confiscates from his students, I'm not surprised," Nym replied with a smile.

"How's he faring?" asked Fleur as she helped Luna do her make-up.

"He's more worried about Draco and Cissy than he's willing to admit..." she looked to Hermione and admitted reluctantly; "And he's worried about you, H..."

"Why?" asked Ginny, growing concerned enough to clear her head of the effects of what she had just smoked.

"Tom's obsession with me?" Hermione asked, receiving a grim nod from Nym. "What aren't you telling us?"

"You have nothing to worry about at the moment and Severus will let us know the minute there is..."

"Nym," Hermione warned.

"No... not now..." Nym said as she again took Hermione in her arms; "I have gone to great lengths to ensure our safety while we're here and I won't have you worrying about it when he's in no position to hurt you..."

"And if he orders Severus to 'take care of me'?" Hermione countered.

"He won't," Fleur said evenly; "at least, not yet..." she shook her head; "Severus is still too valuable to him as a spy at the school..."

"That's little comfort, love," Hermione sighed.

"Sun, just stop," Ginny said as she put her arms around her from behind and rested her chin on her shoulder; "You know how much I love you and your big beautiful brain... but please, love, just give it a rest for the rest of the night?"

"I'll try..." Hermione replied and kissed her cheek.

"Then we'll just have to help you," Nym said as she leaned in to whisper in her ear, a hand playing with her most recent jewelry.

"Keep that up..." Hermione said, half moaning; "and you might, not only succeed, but keep us from going out at all..."

"Well, we wouldn't want that... now would we?" Nym said with a sigh as Hermione kissed her neck, Ginny's hand caressing her behind.

"You lot almost ready to go?" Cissy asked as she entered the bedroom; "Sorry..." she muttered, her face red; "I should have knocked..."

"It's okay Cissy," Hermione laughed; "if the sight of the ice queen Narcissa Malfoy blushing wasn't enough to brighten my day..." she teased as she went to give the older witch a hug; "if you hadn't interrupted us now..."

"We might not have left?" Cissy teased back.

"You know you don't have to come with us," Ginny offered.

"No, we want to," Helen replied as she joined them, wondering what was taking them all so long. "We won't get many chances once we're back in Britain and have a new baby to care for..."

Hermione could tell there was more to it than that, but in an effort to keep her promise to the others and put her mind on hold, she decided not to press.

...

They entered the club, the music already loud and pulsing despite the twenty or so people present. Nym led them to a booth near the back that provided both privacy and a good view of the dance floor. Soon they were approached by an attractive waitress wearing tight jeans and an even tighter t-shirt. Nym ordered herself a scotch and soda, the rest ordering white wine, except for Cissy who asked for water.

They sat sipping their drinks, watching as the club and the dance floor began to fill.

"Nym?" Hermione whispered in her ear; "Can you request a song for me?" When Nym nodded Hermione told her the name, Nym smiling when she recognized the, almost decade old, Muggle tune.

"Where's she going? Ginny asked.

"To request a song," Hermione told her as she slid from their booth; "C'mon... let's dance..."

Fleur and Luna followed, Nym joining them after Hermione noticed her giving the dj several French notes; "She'll play it next..." Nym said in her ear in explanation. Hermione smiled, kissed her and mouthed a 'thanks'.

As the song they were dancing to came to an end and the sounds of heavy breathing came over the speakers, Hermione took Ginny in her arms, a leg between hers as they slowly began to move together.

"I want you now," Hermione sang in her ear, the lyrics of one of her favorite Depeche Mode songs having more meaning than ever; "Tomorrow won't do. There's a yearning inside and it's showing through. Reach out your hands and accept my love. We've waited for too long. Enough is enough. I want you now..." she kissed Ginny's neck, then worked her back to her ear for the next verse; "My heart is aching. My body is burning. My hands are shaking. My head is turning. Do you understand? It's so easy to choose. We've got time to kill, we've got nothing to lose... I want you now..."

Their hands began to roam each others bodies as Nym joined them, her front grinding into Hermione's back, she continued the song as the other two kissed; "And I don't mean to sound, like one of the boys. That's not what I'm trying to do... I don't want to be, like one of the boys... I just want you soon..." she sang as her hands found both of their new piercings, Hermione smiling slightly as she realized Nym had changed the last word of the verse from 'now' to 'soon'.

"Because I've got a love..." Hermione breathed as Nym and Ginny both began kissing and nipping at her neck; "A love that won't wait. A love that is growing and it's getting late... do you know what it means to be left this way? When everyone's gone... and the feelings they stay... I want you now..."

At some point Luna and Fleur had joined them, the five so lost in each other they hadn't noticed that the all the woman around them had stopped dancing and were watching, some of their mouths agape as if enthralled by the display the five young women had provided. They didn't even notice when the music stopped until there was a tap on Hermione's shoulder.

"The club's owner wants to speak with us," Helen informed them.

Hermione looked around, blushing slightly as she recognized the many looks of lust on the strangers around them. Becoming even more embarrassed when she realized her hand was under Ginny's shirt.

"Oops..." Nym laughed.


	8. Chapter 8-Surrender

The seven were led to a small, well-appointed conference room by their sexy waitress, all the girls worried they were about to get in trouble.

"You can't be serious…" a raven-haired, dread-locked, woman in her thirties was saying into a phone. She cradled the receiver and smiled at her guests, "Please… sit," she said warmly as she motioned to the chairs around the table; "and please, stop looking so worried… you're not in any trouble… even if I do know four of you are under the age of eighteen and shouldn't be in my club in the first place," she teased.

"Can I ask what this about then?" asked Hermione.

"Of course, Miss Granger," the woman replied genially; "My name is Cosima Cormier, but my friends call me CC… I hope, by the time you leave, you will, at least, consider me that."

"Cormier?" Fleur said thoughtfully; "Any relation to Delphine Cormier?"

"She is my wife," CC answered with a smile.

"Professor Cormier teaches 'Charms' at Beauxbatons, but I had no idea…" Fleur started.

"She is married to Muggle?" CC provided.

"I was going to say 'woman'," Fleur replied with a smile; "I had the biggest crush on her…" she confided with a blush.

"She is quite fond of you as well," CC admitted; "Delphine was quite impressed with how you handled your dragon in the first task," the redness in Fleur's cheeks deepened at the compliment.

"So your wife is one of Fleur's former Professors which explains how you know who we are, but surely, you didn't bring us here to exchange compliments."

"No, Miss Granger, I did not," CC replied as she passed a thick manila envelope to her. "Jean-Philippe is an old… friend… when he told me you, Miss Delacour, your fiancées and a British Auror would be paying my club a visit, I knew I had to meet you."

Hermione had opened the envelope as CC had explained, frowning slightly at its contents. It appeared to be the manifesto of a covert French organization made up of Muggles, Squibs, Witches and Wizards… all of them working together to protect all of France's citizens.

"I don't understand," Hermione said quietly as she passed the papers to Nym.

"Please, Miss Granger, do not play coy with me," CC replied with a smirk; "I had intended to give that information to your Auror friend, but I can see now that you're clearly the one in charge…"

"That doesn't explain why you felt the need to share this with us," Fleur pressed in an attempt to take the focus off Hermione.

"Madame Maxime is aware of my wife's involvement with my group and informed us of your Dark Lord's return," CC replied, finally, it seemed, getting to her point; "We'd like to offer our assistance…"

"Thank you, but…"

"Please, Miss Granger, just because our group is predominantly non-magical, do not underestimate us. Many, like JP, are ex-military."

"It's not a matter of underestimating you or your people," Hermione replied with a sigh; "I was raised by Muggle parents and I know, better than some, just what they are capable of," she shook her head; "It's hard enough trying to protect those we care about… we wouldn't be able to guarantee you or your group's safety."

"I didn't realize I had asked you to," CC replied, a touch defensively.

"I know that," Hermione replied dismissively; "however, one of our main goals is to see that Tom can't cause as much damage as he did last time and part of that is keeping casualties to a minimum… it's not that we don't want or need your help, but that we're trying to not endanger people unnecessarily."

"An admirable goal," CC conceded, then considered Hermione a moment; "You know your Rita Skeeter mis-translated Voldemort's name?"

"It wasn't a mistake," Hermione replied with a smirk; "I know it is more accurately translated as 'flight from death'."

"_You're_ behind her latest articles?" CC laughed; "I should have known… they are definitely her style, but they have been more intelligent of late…" she shook her head; "Just who are you, Miss Granger?"

"An O.W.L. student at Hogwarts?" Hermione offered.

"Don't forget Triwizard Tournament winner," teased Ginny.

"I try to," Hermione joked, kissed Ginny's temple, then looked back to CC; "Can you tell us what the deal is with the Eiffel Tower?"

"So that _was_ you yesterday," CC chuckled; "The Tower showed a large spike in magic yesterday afternoon and a smaller one again last night…"

"Last night?" Cissy interrupted, an edge to her voice.

"Ginny and I paid a late night visit so we could talk privately," Hermione explained apologetically.

"Well, it was at that… whatever wards you placed were impenetrable," CC said with admiration; "Can you explain how a sixteen year old is capable of that?"

"No," Hermione replied evenly; "and you still haven't explained why…"

"There's magic built into the Eiffel Tower?" CC concluded; "In time of war it can be magically powered to protect all of France, however it takes a great deal of magic to do so," she shook her head; "When the idea was first proposed, the majority of the French magical population didn't feel it necessary to help try to protect the non-magical population as well and refused to lend their magical energy. So instead it has sat as nothing more than a tourist attraction since it was built, collecting trace amounts of magic for the last hundred years."

"Is that why you've named your group, 'Tour Eiffel Elite?" asked Luna.

"It is," CC confirmed.

"How, exactly, do you know my cousin and how did you become involved with the 'Elite'?" Helen asked.

"My family was part of the group who founded the Elite," CC replied proudly; "JP joined shortly after you moved to France with your family."

"And the Elite's purpose?" asked Fleur.

"At first it was created to defend against Grindlewald and his followers as they realized the threat he posed to all people, not just magicals," CC explained; "They, however, found themselves also defending against the more immediate threat of Hitler and his army. Later, after they were both defeated and Voldemort came along we remained ready in case the conflict jumped the water and came to our shores…"

"I'm impressed," Hermione commented thoughtfully as she again flipped through the papers CC had given her; "Has the Elite been watching over us while we've been in Paris?"

"Yes and you have met several of them," CC replied, smiling at their surprise; "Most of the shops you have visited are owned by members of the Elite, as well as, Celeste, who you met earlier today."

"But why would you do that?" Hermione pressed.

"Because JP asked us to," CC replied simply. "But I have taken far more of your time than I had intended," she said as she stood; "Please, enjoy the rest of your evening and, of course, all drinks are on the house…"

"That isn't…" Fleur started.

"Necessary?" CC interrupted with a laugh; "With the amount of money the five of you have been spending?" she shook her head; "It's not charity, I assure you, but a thank you from me personally. Upstairs we have several floors of hotel rooms that we keep for out-of-town guests and for our more inebriated patrons, but tonight, after your little display, each one has already been rented out for the night…"

"I think," Hermione said as she looked to the others; "that we'll call it a night…"

"I apologize if I've caused you to cut your night short," CC said sadly.

"No," Helen replied; "We had planned on an early night anyway…" she said, a hand on Cissy's belly in explanation.

"Oh," CC said with a smile; "when are you due, Mrs Malfoy?"

Cissy's smile tightened; "It's _Miss Black,_ for now anyway…"

"I'm sorry, I meant no disrespect," CC offered.

"None taken," Cissy replied; "I'm due in January, but as few people are aware of that, we'd like to keep that private until after our wedding…" she said, lacing her finger's Helen's.

"When Jeff found out about Posh's death, he offered me a divorce so Cissy and I can get formally get married right away;" Helen replied; "We will still be sharing the Greengrass estate with him, our daughters and his boyfriend;" she smiled; "Jeff is actually working up the nerve to propose to him so we can have a double wedding."

"Congratulations," CC said happily as she offered Helen her hand.

"Aunt Cissy," Nym said as she went to give her a hug; "I'm so happy for you…"

"We only just found out," Helen replied as she accepted a hug from Nym as well; "Jeff and I only got married for our mutual protection… he's the only son of a Pureblood family and, to his parents, being gay and still having a child wasn't an option they would support… his family name, however, was enough to offer me protection from Posh and his ilk."

"So it's purely a marriage of convenience then?" asked Ginny.

"In a manner of speaking," Helen admitted; "but we do care about each other a great deal and we are great friends…" she paused when she noticed Cissy trying to stifle a yawn; "We really should be heading home…"

"Of course, of course," CC said with a smile; "Please, anytime you're in Paris you must pay us another visit…" she said as she led them back to the club.

When they reached it, however, a curious thing happened. It seemed those closest to the door to the back of house had been waiting and watching for their return and began to applaud, almost every single patron quickly following suit as the girls all blushed deeply. Hermione smiled and bowed dramatically, the others following her lead and causing the applause to get louder than the music as many of the women began yelling their appreciation.

…

All but Cissy and Helen were still blushing when they reached JP and the waiting limo, Helen walking up to him and smacking him in the back of the head without preamble or explanation before getting into the car.

"What?" he asked as he rubbed his head, all the his passengers glaring at him as they walked past him.

"Consider yourself lucky," Cissy added, her voice betraying her anger.

"You didn't have a good time?" he asked, confused at the glares he was receiving.

"We _were_," Hermione replied before getting into the car, the look she gave him making him blanch.

"I'm sorry, I…" he stammered.

Nym, the last to enter the car, fixed him with a stare so fierce he actually took a step back.

"Save it," she warned.

What JP didn't know was that, while they were indeed annoyed with him, their anger, apart from Helen, was largely an act. His cousin, however, was livid. Although she and Cissy had never explained why the girls were so important, he had known they had done everything possible to see that they had a good time. He had, effectively, ruined their night when it seemed they were finally starting to enjoy themselves. While they understood his motivation, he should have known better than to allow his 'friend' to ambush them like that.

When JP took his seat behind the wheel Helen smacked him in the back of the head again; "And that's for not telling me about the Elite in the first place," she explained before hitting him again; "Put up the partition and don't even try to talk to me until I've had at least three glasses of wine."

JP nodded and did as he was told. He might not fully understand what he had done that was so wrong, but he knew better than to argue with seven angry women. His wife was bad enough on her own and she didn't have magic at her disposal.

As soon as the partition closed and several silencing charms were placed, they broke out in laughter.

"Oh god… the look on his face…" Ginny stammered.

"Trust me, he's more frightened of his wife at the moment," Helen joked. "Sure, she seems gentle, sweet and kind, but get her angry?" she shook her head; "They both knew how important this trip was to us, even if we never explained why…"

"He was just trying to help," Hermione said with a sigh.

"Can I ask why you changed your mind about marrying Jeffrey?" Ginny asked.

"There were a few legal loopholes Posh could have exploited to get custody of Draco and up to half his money back," Cissy replied; "Marrying Jeffy would have protected us both as I, and everything I own, would effectively become his."

"But Posh broke the contract first," said Luna.

"Yes, but he did so unknowingly," answered Cissy; "My affair and pregnancy were pre-meditated."

"But why didn't he say something?" asked Fleur.

"He was trying to save face," Hermione offered and received Cissy's nod. "He knew Tom was coming back… knew he would probably be freed eventually. I think, once his 'friends' had control of the Ministry he would have pushed his own agenda."

"That isn't going to happen," Nym stated; "Every single marked man who has entered the Ministry since Tom fell the first time has been monitored. The moment Tom shows his ugly face they will be taken into custody and questioned."

"Perhaps, Hermione, it's time for your next article?" Helen suggested.

"What did you have in mind?" asked Hermione.

"The truth behind why my family and I left Britain… give you an excuse to publicize Posh's death?" Helen offered.

"That would lead nicely into announcing that I, and the other school governors, have agreed to the proposed changes for Hogwarts for the coming year," Cissy smiled at their confusion; "With Posh dead there was an opening on the board. They offered it to Sirius first, but he didn't want it. It would have gone to Bella next, but she's in jail… it should have been offered to Andi but unfortunately her marriage to Ted made her ineligible… so they asked me…"

"That's where you both disappeared last week?" surmised Fleur.

"It was," Cissy said with a nod; "Your proposals were accepted unanimously… several of the older Pureblood families even commented how excited their children were."

"I wonder if they'd be singing another tune if Tom had already made an appearance," Luna commented.

"Probably… it's why we forced them through now," Cissy replied.

The car slowed as they pulled up to the house.

"Let me have a word with JP?" Hermione requested before exiting the car.

"Maybe Ginny should stay with you?" Luna suggested. She could still feel Hermione's lingering anger and worried she might lose her temper.

Cissy and Helen got out first, followed by Nym, Fleur and Luna, each of them glaring at JP as they passed him. Helen and Cissy turned at the front door before entering, Helen calling to them; "A drink before you all head to bed?"

"Sure..." Hermione replied with a smile, then turned back to JP her expression again severe. "Don't," she stated; "We appreciate all you and your friends have tried to do over the last few days, but it wasn't needed," she held her hand up to stop him from interrupting; "No… you should have just been upfront about your ulterior motives rather than let your friend ambush us the minute we finally started to relax," she shook her head sadly; "You may not know everything that's going on, but surely you've seen just how hard that is for us to do…"

"Please," she finally let him interrupt; "I didn't know Cosima would approach you let alone derail your evening. Cosima Cormier is more than just a member of the Elite, she is our leader… please, if she is offering you our help, you should consider it…"

"If the time comes that we need it, trust me, we won't hesitate to ask," Ginny replied.

"But not before then," Hermione added; "The fewer people involved in this conflict means the fewer people hurt…"

"I really am sorry, Miss Granger," he said, returning to the formality of using her surname as evidence of the depth of his regret and his respect for her; "I only wanted to help," he shook his head and motioned towards the house. "I saw Helen when she and her family first arrived here… she was… I don't know another word to describe it… broken," he sighed; "Thanks, in part to you, she is finally whole again… can you blame me for wanting to punish the man at the source of her pain?"

"You'll have to get in line," Hermione joked, smiling for the first time since they'd started talking; "It's getting quite long, mind…"

…

They joined the others for a nightcap, but they could tell Hermione was restless. Even after a joint and several glasses of wine, she still had energy to burn so, when she suggested a walk before bed, they readily agreed.

"You took it pretty easy on JP," Ginny commented as she laced her fingers Hermione's.

"I didn't see the point," Hermione replied with a shrug; "He didn't know CC was going to approach us." Hermione took Nym's hand with her free one and laced their fingers; "Nym… what aren't you telling us?"

"There was another Order meeting just before I left," Nym admitted warily, Hermione had only just started to calm down and she was loathe to set her off again. "We had a chat about Cissy joining the Order," she smiled; "Never thought I'd see the day when Severus and Sirius would be united in something," she sighed; "Your father is on his way to meet up with Hagrid and Madame Maxime before they reach the Giants… H?" Nym said, concerned as Hermione had stopped dead, clutched her head then dropped to her knees. "What's happening?" she asked, panicked, as she looked to the others.

Hermione shook her head, which she immediately regretted as he pain tripled and caused her to vomit violently.

"Why aren't you helping her?" Nym pleaded.

"I'm trying," Ginny replied, rubbing Hermione's back as she continued to dry heave.

Finally, her body stilled, but she kept a hand clutched to her head as she stuck her other hand out, her backpack appearing and opening on it's own almost immediately. She dropped it on the ground as her quills and a large stack of parchments flew out. One by one she quickly filled each of her six quills with the new information flooding her mind. With each one the pain began to ebb, as if, somehow, the information itself was what was causing her the pain. Ginny massaged her neck as Hermione began to gently rock, trying to hold it together as she waited for the quills to empty and relieve of her of the now horrifying images she was seeing. She closed her eyes, trying to block them out as she waited. Trying to keep herself from throwing up again as she realized how truly depraved Tom Riddle had been while a student at Hogwarts, his exploits rivaling those they found in Slytherin's journal. New anger finally calmed her as the first quill came to stop and she filled it, and the rest, again. How could her father, or the other teachers, not have known what was happening right under their noses? Why wasn't it stopped? At some point during the process she had felt a second hand join Ginny's, a wave of calm slowly taking over, as Luna rubbed circles on her back. She sighed in relief as she set the last one upon the parchment, her mind now free to put all she had learned in very strong mental box at the back of her mind. She looked up and saw her fear mirrored in both Fleur and Nym's face as they had been reading the parchments as they collected them.

"What the hell?" Nym asked fearfully as she appeared to be fighting the urge to follow Hermione's example and begin vomiting.

"Sun?" Ginny said then kissed her temple; "You okay?"

"Physically… I will be," she slowly shook her head, grateful that the ache was a dull throb; "Mentally? That's going to take a lot…"

"Again I ask, 'what the hell?'" Nym repeated as she helped Hermione stand.

Hermione rubbed her face with her hands as she tried to make sense of it all.

"I think," she sighed; "When dear-old-dad passed me his ability to perform a Patronus… he was hiding something else," she pointed to the stack of parchments in Fleur's hands; "You'll notice there are parts that are highlighted, that's information we've found out since then," she took the stack from Fleur; "He was hiding something… he still is," she rolled the parchments and put them in her bag; "but whatever it is he's only worried Tom will find out about it…" she laughed as she closed her bag; "he used everything he'd learned about Tom to block me from anything else… he was afraid I might try to take more and he wouldn't be able to stop me…"

"But why now?" Ginny asked, "Why didn't it come back along with the rest of your memories?"

"Because he didn't block this memory," she replied with a shake of her head, relieved when it no longer ached; "I think I blocked it from myself," she frowned and pinched the bridge of her nose; "I've been using the information all along," she chuckled dryly; "predicting his actions, manipulating him," she started walking back towards the house. "C'mon, I suddenly feel the need for a very hot shower…"

"Can I ask why writing it out helped?" asked Nym.

"It's the way my mind works," Hermione said with a shrug; "I can remember every minute of every day since I was six, then add everything I've read in that time and learned?"

"That's a lot of information," Nym provided.

"Exactly," Hermione agreed; "I've had to learn how to compartmentalize everything so I can deal with it. Writing it out or, more accurately, siphoning all my thoughts about one subject into my quills makes it easier to do that," she smiled and kissed Ginny's forehead when they reached the bedroom; "You guys look that stuff over while I take a shower…"

"You okay to be alone?" Ginny asked, concerned as Hermione was still looking pale.

She rested her forehead against Ginny's and sighed; "I won't be long," she assured her then kissed her softly; "I just… I need a few minutes alone…" she looked to the couch to see that Fleur, Luna and Nym were already reading the parchments. "I think, around page six or seven, you'll understand why I was throwing up…"

"I'm coming to check on you if you're not out in fifteen minutes…" Ginny informed her.

"Deal…" she smiled, kissed her again, then retreated to sanctuary of the shower.

She turned the water on then slowly undressed, smiling as her eyes fell on her new piercing. She took the jewelry between her fingers and moved it back and forth through the hole, a wave of arousal almost buckling her knees. She smiled, they'd be playing with each others piercings all night and it was driving her crazy.

She ducked beneath the shower and let the warm water wash away her tension. The last few days with Nym among them had been wonderful and frustrating. Every time she and Ginny lost themselves in each other they found themselves considering going past the point of no return. She sighed as she felt another wave of desire wash over her. She shook her head and sat down at the bottom of the wall, her head in her hands. "Why can't it just be sex?" she thought. It was difficult enough fighting their hormones, but it was their magic that was complicating things. They'd been on high alert the whole time they were in Paris and their magic was reacting to the perceived threat. In its attempt to protect them it was doing the only thing it could… urging them to complete their bond and achieve their full potential. The more they fought it, the harder it became.

She stood with new resolve, washed herself quickly and used a few charms to trim certain private areas in preparation for what she had planned next.

…

Ginny had joined the others on the couch, each of them growing more concerned with every word. If Tom was capable of such horrors when he was their age… well, they finally fully understood why Severus was so worried.

They had barely finished reading when Hermione returned from her shower. They all went to hug her, a hug which quickly became more.

"Stop…" Hermione finally said, all of them in various states of undress.

"What?" Nym asked.

"Why?" added Ginny.

"Because this isn't the way…" Hermione said, unsure of how to explain.

"I'm sorry?" asked Luna.

"You're all worried about me, yes?" Hermione asked and received their nods. "This, how we feel right now? We're being driven by our need to protect each other… our magic's need to bond because it's the best way for it to do that…" she shook her head; "if we don't stop now, we won't be able to… as much as we all love being together like this, this isn't how any of us want our first times," she kissed Ginny softly. "I already meant every word of that song… since I'm already breaking two of the promises I made you last summer...'

"Sun?" Ginny started, totally confused.

"Nym? When are you heading back to Britain?" Hermione asked.

"I was supposed to head back tomorrow night, but I don't really have to be back until Monday morning… why?" Nym replied.

"Because, after dinner tomorrow we're all going to the cottage," Hermione announced, smiling at their looks of surprise.

"Why wait at all? Let's go now…" Ginny countered.

"No… we need to say goodbye to the Delacours and gather our…" Hermione trailed off at the look that crossed Fleur's face; "Something wrong?" she asked her.

"I heard my parents arguing before we left for Paris," Fleur said as she backed away from them, Luna taking her in her arms. "My father..." she shook her head; "He told my mother that he would withdraw his permission for us to get married and would accept one of the many marriage offers he's received for me... he'd force me to not leave France..." she smiled; "my mother warned him... she could take him for everything he has just because he mentioned a marriage contract... it was part of their own, he agreed to never force any female children he had into marriage..."

"So what do you want us to do Fleur? Tonight or tomorrow?" Hermione asked.

Fleur took Luna's face in her hands, searching her eyes before asking; "What do you want to do, Moon?"

"Let's go..." she smiled, "We've so many battles left to fight I'm happy to concede defeat in this one... I'm tired of fighting this, Bee..."

"My feelings exactly, Lu..." Hermione said and went to kiss her temple; "We'll have the cottage to ourselves for a few days... time together without limits..." she smiled as Ginny came to kiss her neck; "I'm not saying we should rush things..."

"But it'll be nice to just go with it..." Nym finished.

"So we're decided then?" Hermione asked, smiling when they all nodded eagerly. She summoned all of her and Ginny's things directly to her backpack; "Once you're packed head to the Chateau and get your stuff together," she reached for Ginny's hand and laced their fingers; "We'll go let Cissy and Helen know what's going on," she looked to Nym; "Can you let our guard know where we're heading?" Nym nodded. "We'll be along shortly."

"Sun? Are you sure about this?" Ginny asked.

"More so by the minute," she replied; "We'll have the cottage to ourselves for at least a few days and Fleur can avoid an argument with her father..." she kissed Ginny softly; "I'm so tired of fighting this..." she kissed her neck; "I've wanted this since the moment I kissed you... haven't we earned this?"

"We really have," Ginny agreed with a smile.

"Nym?" Hermione said, turning to find her smiling, but looking a little lost. "Are you coming with us?"

"I don't know..."

Hermione walked over to her and took her face in her hands.

"Since day one there has been one thing I've hated about all this... you being alone," Hermione kissed her softly; "We have a bedroom set aside for you at Hogwarts," she smiled; "We can't promise there won't be nights when you're sleeping alone..."

"But at least you won't really be alone," Ginny concluded.

"Come to the cottage with us," Fleur implored.

"No..." Nym smiled; "tonight should be about the four of you..." she ran her fingers across Hermione's forehead; "besides... if I'm going to be staying at Hogwarts," she blushed as Hermione grinned; "even just part of the time... I need to pack a few things..."

"We don't go back to school for over a month," Ginny countered.

"True," Nym replied and kissed Ginny's nose; "But the last three days with you four..." she reached for Luna and Fleur, hugging all four of them as she felt tears in eyes; "they've been the happiest, if not most confusing, days of my life..." she looked to Hermione; "I can't... I don't want to be separated from you guys for very long ever again..."

"How about this then..." Hermione said; "We need to talk to Luna's dad and Remus... preferably tomorrow... maybe have them both come to the cottage for dinner?" she suggested.

"Nym and I can go talk to Remus in the morning," Fleur offered; "Give the three of you some time alone?"

"And then in the afternoon Fleur can come with me to talk to my dad," Luna suggested; "Give you three some time..."

"Or... I could go with Luna and give Hermione and Nym some time alone..." Ginny added.

Hermione looked between them, then looked back to Nym.

"I think... if it's all right with Nym," she kissed Nym softly; "I'd like Ginny to be with us... maybe start off just the two of us... then have her join?"

"I'd like that," Nym replied, her voice deep.

"Are you sure you're okay to be alone tonight?" Hermione asked Nym.

"Stop..." Nym said, her fingers over Hermione's lips; "I love you all... I do... I know how much this all means to you... please, don't worry about me... you have earned this and the right to fully enjoy it... okay? You guys happy makes me happy..."

"We love you too, Nym..." Ginny answered as they all engulfed her in a hug.

"Are you kidding me?" Nym laughed; "I thought I'd still be waiting for months... by this time tomorrow?" she blushed.

"All right... let's get moving... it's already late..." Hermione said as she stepped away from the others. "Bring the journals? I want to finish reading them and I'd feel safer if they were at the cottage," Fleur nodded. They all shared brief kisses. Now that the decision to stop kidding themselves and just give in to it had been made, they all felt calmer. With any luck they'd be making love before sunrise.

"Love? Are you sure about this?" Ginny asked again as they went to talk to Cissy and Helen, she could hardly believe they were going to do this... run off in the middle of the night?

"Yes..." she kissed her temple; "Luna was right... we have so much left to fight," Hermione stopped and put her hand over Ginny's heart; "I'm tired of fighting this... what we feel, want and need..." she kissed Ginny softly; "Are you ready?"

"You know that I am," she replied and kissed her; "maybe I feel a little guilty about running off like this..."

"Don't love," Hermione sighed; "If tonight proved nothing else, it's that the only way we're really going to get a break from all this is to take a break..." she opened the back door to the patio and found Cissy and Helen curled up in a chair.

"You're on your way then?" Cissy asked, Hermione nodded, both she and Ginny surprised by the question.

"Is this because of my idiot cousin?" Helen asked.

"Not really," Hermione replied with a shrug; "but it did make us realize the only way we're going to get some time alone is if we go to the cottage now..." she shook her head; "my parents will be there by next weekend... we'd rather..."

"Not have your first time with them around?" Cissy teased.

"Oh, c'mon," Helen said, her tone light; "the five you almost caused an orgy at the club tonight... why do you think we're still awake?"

"We hoped you'd at least say goodbye," Cissy explained.

"This isn't goodbye," Hermione replied.

"We'll see you in a couple of weeks at the wedding," Ginny reminded them.

"We wouldn't dream of missing it," Cissy replied as she got up to hug them.

"The three, well, I guess the four of you, have become more to us than just friends... you know that right?" Hermione asked.

"We do... which is why we're not trying to stop you," Cissy replied fondly; "The five of you deserve all the love and happiness you can enjoy..." she smiled; "We're actually a little impressed you've waited this long..." she teased.

...

Fleur, Luna and Nym apparated directly to Fleur's bedroom at the Chateau, hoping they could avoid both Fleur's parents and her little sister. Fleur left Nym and Luna to pack their things while she snuck up to the library to grab the Sisters' journals. When she got there, however, she found a surprise- her mother with Gabrielle asleep in her lap, the journal describing when the Sisters had found Fleur open in her lap.

"You're going to the cottage then?" Lynne asked quietly, trying to not wake the young girl in her lap as Gabrielle was already upset by her sister's leaving.

"Maman... I heard you arguing with Pere, he wouldn't really try to make good on his threat, would he?" Fleur asked as she sat down on the couch next to her mother and sister.

"He can not," Lynne replied firmly; "Your grandmother worried when I decided to marry a human, that he would not respect our daughters' destiny if it came to pass... that is why I made him sign the marriage contract," she sighed; "I don't think he ever really believed it..." she shook her head and took Fleur's hand; "If he tries to push he will be left with nothing... including your sister and I."

"You would do that? For me?"

"Fleur..." Lynne sighed; "I have watched you suffer in silence your whole life... you are finally the woman you were always meant to be... I'm so proud of you."

"Are you still coming to the wedding?"

"Your sister and I, will... your father?" she shook her head sadly again; "I don't think he'll accept that you are leaving until you are gone," Lynne squeezed her hand; "But he is not your concern... what is important is your happiness..."

"Merci, Maman," Fleur replied as she hugged her; "Give Gabby my love..." she added then kissed her forehead.

Fleur double checked that she had all the journals before locking the chest they had always been stored in, then shrunk it before putting it in her pocket.

Lynne gently moved the sleeping girl from her lap and stood to give her eldest a daughter a proper hug before she left.

"Be safe, child," Lynne said quietly into her ear; "but, more importantly, be happy..."

**A/N: Sorry for ending the chapter here, but as the girls have been waiting for this night for a long time, (as have all of you), I felt it deserves its own chapter. But I figure, since it's a full two weeks sooner than they were supposed to, that you'll forgive me ;-)**

**Tip of the nib to Mylon, I wasn't going to make anything of the Eiffel Tower until he suggested it. Since it worked with what I already had planned I decided to work it in.**

**It's been a year since I first started this epic journey. Thanks to all those who have been there since the start. Your reviews, pm's and support mean the world to me. **


	9. Chapter 9-New Day

**A/N: Well, folks, here you have it... the chapter you, and our heroines, have waited a long time for... hope it's worth the wait, enjoy! And if you do, please review... this chapter... well, it's a scary one for me... lots of self-imposed pressure to get it just right... please pardon any mistakes I might have missed, they'll be fixed in the next few days...**

It was almost three in the morning by the time they got to the cottage. They had convinced Nym to come with them so they could say a proper goodbye before she left for London and completed the long apparition without any ill effects as all of them, including Nym, had travelled the distance by elf apparition, the excited yipping of their wolf puppies greeting them even as they were still taking in their surroundings.

"Hagrid dropped them off before he left," Nym explained; "Minerva said he was happy to see Buckbeak."

Hermione, Ginny and Luna all knelt as the wolves ran closer, bracing themselves to be knocked over, but instead the pups came to a stop in front of them and put their heads into the girls' chests.

"We missed you too," Hermione said as she hugged Nemain. "We're going to be here for the rest of the summer so we'll take you running a lot…" Hermione smiled as Nym came to kneel beside her; "Pups… we'd like you to meet our friend Nym…" she said as Nym reached her hand out for them to sniff; "Nym, this is Nemain;" she rubbed between her pup's ears; "The pure white one is Baddy and the one attempting to lick Ginny's face off, is Macha…"

Hermione was distracted by three distinct thuds a little ways off in the darkness and then the unmistakable sound of beating wings as Buckbeak landed near them and knelt to Hermione.

She stood and returned the bow before approaching the Hippogriff.

"Hello, my handsome friend," she greeted; "Have you been taking care of the pups?"

The was a sharp crack, Hermione turning quickly to find its source to find Cara carrying three large bowls of raw meat.

"He has, Miss," the little elf informed them; "He draws them in and I's feeds them…"

"But why? They were fending for themselves just fine at Hogwarts," Ginny asked.

"They were doing okay for the first week, but they chased everything away from the cottage and they don't seem to want to wander too far," Cara explained; "It's okay Misses… I like the pups… they take me running," she said fondly; "the white one lets me ride her!" she said excitedly.

"That I will have to see," Luna said, smiling.

"Your rooms are ready," Cara told them; "as well as your two 'special' rooms…"

"Two?" Luna asked.

"Yes, Miss, Minnie was here last week and she found the perfect room for you and your fiancée in the west wing," she smiled; "I cleans it and put some candles up for you… I'll get you some snacks and mead before you gets there…"

"Cara?" Hermione said hesitantly before she knelt to the elf's level; "Does Minerva know we're here?"

"No, Miss," Cara replied as she placed a hand on her shoulder; "She told me if you four showed up early to have everything ready, but not to let her know."

"How do we find this room Cara?" Fleur asked.

"Follow the torches," she replied simply.

"Thank you, Cara," Hermione said as she drew the her into a hug; "and sorry for waking you so late…"

"No, Miss… I usually feed the pups around now… I was surprised they were early," she told them; "Have a good night, call me if you need anything," she added before vanishing the now empty bowls and then herself.

Hermione walked back over to Buckbeak; "Thank you, my friend, for watching over our pups…" he shook his head; "You feel you owe me a debt?" she asked, the Hippogriff nodded. "There are no debts between friends…"

Luna walked over to join them, bowed to the Hippogriff and waited for his return bow.

"You're lonely, aren't you, my friend?" she asked him. Turning his head so he could regard her with one of his great amber eyes, he hesitated a moment before nodding again. Luna turned to Hermione; "Maybe, when Hagrid gets back, we can ask him to bring some more Hippogriffs here? There's more than enough room…" Luna was interrupted when Buckbeak put his head to her chest and gave her a gentle shove. "I'm not making any promises, but we'll do what we can, okay?" he nodded, bowed again, and before again taking to the sky, gathered the three rabbits he had caught for the pups and flew off.

"So about tomorrow," Nym said hesitantly as they stood, their arms around each other; "I'll still go talk to Remus, but maybe we should plan for dinner on Tuesday…" she smiled; "Not that I'm not entirely thrilled about not having to wait the months I thought I'd be waiting, but," she kissed Hermione's temple; "the four of you deserve this time to make your bonds and circles as strong as they can be before you start including me," she took a deep breath, as much as she believed what she was about to say, she was loath to say it aloud; "and even when you do… I want to take things slowly…"

"You're afraid our feelings for you will change once we've made love to our mates?" Luna deduced.

"They might," Nym replied.

"I don't see that happening," Hermione assured her.

"The point is," Nym smiled; "I'm okay if it does… I love you guys, I really do…" she shook her head; "the memories we've seen, they've explained how that is possible, but I still have a hard time understanding it sometimes…" she hugged Fleur and Hermione closer; "Consider it my wedding gift to the four of you… I mean, what do you get four women who either have, or can get, just about anything they want?"

"You've already given us so much, Nym," Fleur replied with a kiss of her cheek.

"You managed to sweep all four of us off our feet the last few days," added Hermione.

"Please," Nym said with a sigh; "Don't make this any harder than it already is… I need some time by myself to process all this and you guys really should be allowed the time to explore all the bonds between you before you include me," Nym repeated then kissed Hermione before she could interrupt; "No… please, let me do this for all of you… okay?"

"On one condition," Ginny started.

"If you need us you come back as soon as you can… okay?" finished Luna.

"Deal," Nym replied with a smile; "But I should get going if you guys want to be, uh, you know, _doing it_, before sunrise…" she smiled again; "maybe, consider it a thank you for three of the best days of my life?"

"We can't get you to change your mind?" asked Hermione as she kissed just below her ear.

"Oh… I'm sure you could," Nym replied as she gently pushed Hermione away; "but that wouldn't exactly be fair now would it?"

"No… I suppose not…" Hermione sighed and then pulled Nym into her arms for a hug; "I'm going to miss you…" she whispered.

"It's just a couple of days," Nym laughed as she went to hug and kiss Ginny; "two sleeps, really…" next she repeated the process with Luna and Fleur, Hermione sneaking in for one last hug before Nym stepped away, put her backpack over her shoulder and smiling said; "Don't do anything I wouldn't do," she winked; "repeatedly…" and then apparated away.

"Brat…" Hermione said with a laugh as she put her arm around Ginny's shoulders.

"What did I do?" Ginny asked, affronted.

"Not you… Nym," Hermione replied as she tried to stifle a yawn; "C'mon… it's getting really late…" she said as she looked to the already lightening sky then started walking towards the cottage.

"Do you know if our special room has a shower?" Ginny asked.

"Not sure, why?" Hermione replied.

"I'd like to take a shower first," she shoved Hermione playfully; "Pretty dumb question for the smartest witch of her age…"

"Well, let's stop by our room first and drop off our stuff anyway," Hermione replied as she gave Ginny's shoulders a squeeze; "You take your shower and I'll meet you there?"

"Okay," Ginny replied with a grin.

As they made their way up to the suite of rooms they had used the summer before they talked of their plans for the coming days.

"Why don't we fly up to the lake this afternoon?" Ginny suggested.

"Knowing Cara she's probably already got the picnic basket ready," Hermione joked; "I'm so happy we decided to do this…"

"We are too," Ginny, Luna and Fleur replied.

"Well, yes, but I meant," Hermione replied, blushing; "it's nice to have the place to ourselves and no real demands on our time for the next few days."

"I'll send my dad a note when Elly gets here," said Luna as they entered their rooms to find the raven in question waiting for them. "Well, hello there beautiful," Luna greeted the bird as she stroked her head. "Can I ask you to take a note to my father? It doesn't have to right away, though… you've already had a long flight tonight…"

Elly nodded, then tucked her head under her wing for a nap.

Hermione gave Ginny the lingerie she had bought for her then kissed her tenderly.

"I'll see you there you soon?" she asked, her voice already low. Ginny nodded, then kissed her again before heading for the shower. Hermione turned to Fleur and Luna; "Can you stall her for me?" she asked them.

"How long?" Luna asked as she went to give her a hug.

"At least twenty minutes?" Hermione asked and kissed her forehead.

"I think we can manage that," Fleur assured her as she joined their hug; "and Hermione? Thank you for making the decision we've all been afraid to make."

"You, of all people, understand why," Hermione replied with a shake of her head as she broke the hug and shouldered her backpack; "if I hadn't been using so much magic while we were in Paris… I think I might have blown something up!" they laughed then hugged her one last time before she left.

"So I guess I win," Fleur commented as she led Luna over to the couch.

"I really thought Hermione would make them wait until Ginny's birthday," Luna said with a laugh as she retrieved the lingerie they had bought each other from their backpack. She laid them on the table then settled herself in Fleur's arms.

"We can still wait…" Fleur started but was interrupted by Luna's fierce kiss.

"Don't even think about finishing that sentence," Luna warned. She stroked Fleur's cheek as she thought of how to phrase a question she had been thinking about for a while. She took one of Fleur's hands in her own and studied it a moment before meeting her eyes again. "Um… how exactly… do we… you know? When you're in your Veela form?"

"Make love?" Fleur asked with a shy smile; "Well… it'll be easier for us than it was for Fleur and Fabiana," she smiled at Luna's confusion; "I don't have a beak when I transform…" she provided, blushing slightly.

"How did they?" Luna asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Well, when two Veela females are soulmates… well it would be difficult for them to bond fully if they hadn't learned to adapt," Fleur started to explain, but her shyness got the better of her so she whispered the rest in Luna's ear; "A full Veela's clitoris will grow of its own accord when she is in full transformation and aroused… big enough to…"

"Oh…" Luna blushed, "Can you do that?"

"With a little magic any witch can," Fleur replied with a smile.

"Does Hermione know this?" Luna asked.

"Considering the fantasy she shared with me the last time we were together, I'd say she does," Fleur said, blushing slightly. "Why don't we save that for our wedding night?" Fleur suggested.

Luna laid her head into the hollow of Fleur's neck and sighed contentedly.

"Mmmm… okay…" she replied and yawned.

Fleur ran started running her hand through Luna's hair, "I'm so happy we have this time… here at the cottage… no pressure…" when Luna didn't reply she looked down and saw that she was asleep. She sighed and laid her cheek on her head, falling asleep a few minutes later.

…

Ginny entered the bathroom and turned on the shower before unwrapping the lingerie Hermione had gotten her. She ran the deep red silk between her fingers and smiled as she imagined the look her fiancée would be wearing when she saw her wearing it. That was the only reason Ginny every agreed to the lacy underthings and sexy lingerie, Hermione's reaction. With six brothers, she'd always been a bit of a tomboy, preferring comfortable jeans, a t-shirt and sneakers over a dress any day. It wasn't that wearing girly things made her uncomfortable, she was just more herself in clothes that were a bit more androgynous.

She stepped under the warm water and sighed as she ran her hands through her hair, it was getting too long and she really wanted to cut it. She laughed, her mother would have a fit if she got married with short hair. She smiled, her parents were remarkably accepting of her relationship and even her wedding, the least she could do was wait until after the wedding to cut her hair.

She washed with a little more care than usual, making sure all her nooks and crannies were well and thoroughly clean before using a few well placed trimming charms. She donned her lingerie after towel drying herself and went to stand in front of the mirror. Where had she gone? She asked herself, what happened to the thirteen year old girl who stood in front of this very mirror a year ago? So much had happened in the last year and somehow ageing five years was the least concerning. Did she resent losing five years of her childhood? Sometimes, but the truth was, it had its advantages. Not the least significant of which was them being here, now… if she was only fourteen, they wouldn't have been. Then again, if she was still fourteen, they might not have gone as far as they had or be wanting to go even further.

She shook her head, there was no point of living in a world of 'what if's', they couldn't predict what tomorrow would bring, let alone years down the road. Maybe that was why they had so readily agreed to go along with Hermione's plan even if they knew she had her reasons and that some of them were about more than just desire. Oh, that was a part of it, to be sure, but it was never that simple. In the end, Ginny realized, why didn't matter, they were finally going to be free to express themselves the way they had been fighting for months.

Whatever the reason, Ginny could hardly believe, sometimes, that this was her life. While much of her life was better than any dream Tom had ever given her, he was also responsible for the nightmares that plagued them. She laughed and shook her head, Tom was, indirectly, responsible for them being at the cottage. Because of him, they would all soon become even more powerful.

She exited in the sitting room to find Luna and Fleur sound asleep on the couch, Luna's head nuzzled into Fleur's neck, which was stretched out due to her head being on the back of the couch, her mouth open slightly while she snored. She looked at her watch, in a few hours they'd have been awake for twenty-four, and it hadn't exactly been a peaceful day. She considered her options; she could fetch them a blanket and leave them to sleep or she could wake them and give them enough energy to get to their own special room. She smiled and thought of a third option as she noticed their lingerie sitting on the coffee table. She magically changed them into it and then went back into the bedroom to call Cara.

"Yes, Miss?" Cara asked when she arrived.

"Can you help me take Luna and Fleur to their special room?" Ginny asked her.

"I can take them both, Miss," Cara offered.

"Thank you, Cara… try not to wake them, it's been a long day," Ginny replied, grateful for the suggestion as she felt a little weird invading their privacy.

"Of course," Cara said with a smile and led the way back to the sitting room.

Ginny frowned as she noticed, what looked like, a brand on Cara's shoulder.

"Cara?" Ginny asked, her voice quiet as she didn't want to wake her friends.

The elf turned and regarded her.

"What is the brand on your shoulder?" she asked.

Cara reached for it, rubbed it, and smiled.

"So you can see it now," Cara replied, her tone slightly different than usual. She sighed; "I am descended from the elves who lived with and served the Sisters. This mark," she said as she moved her shirt so Ginny could see it better, the latter unsurprised to recognize the Amice knot; "I inherited from my mother when she died, along with all her knowledge…"

"It's been you! You've been bringing us things when we needed them," Ginny gasped.

"I had thought it would be Hermione who would've figured it out first," Cara said with a smile.

"She's had other things on her mind," Ginny replied; "You showed Minerva the rooms, didn't you?" Cara nodded; "I remembered that she said she never went in the west wing…" she knelt and drew Cara into a hug; "Thank you for everything little one…"

"You're welcome, Miss," Cara replied; "that you can seem my mark means you are ready to know this information…" she pulled away; "Now… haven't you kept her waiting long enough?" she teased.

"Well, maybe it's her turn to wait…" Ginny joked.

"Perhaps… but shouldn't she be rewarded for bringing you here?" Cara teased back.

"I suppose," Ginny laughed, "Thank you, Cara…"

Ginny stepped back, located Hermione, and apparated to her.

She was a little surprised, something she was getting used to, to find herself at the end of the bed and not on the castle wall. She wasn't, however, surprised to find Hermione laying on the bed, a hand over her eyes, a half drunk glass of champagne in the other, sound asleep. She again found herself weighing her options as she poured herself a glass of champagne and nibbled on a sandwich. Oddly enough, her options were similar to those she considered when faced with her sleeping friends… let her sleep or wake her?

Ginny started on a second sandwich as she watched Hermione sleep. She felt like she was vibrating, surely she could share enough energy with her so they could make love for several hours before the need for sleep would take them. She shook her head, but then they would probably end up sleeping away the better part of the day. She finished her sandwich and placed her empty glass back on the table before walking over to the bed. As gently as she could, she magically moved Hermione and drew the blankets up over her before removing her robe and crawling in next to her. She moved her left arm, then laid her head on her shoulder and sighed, what was the rush, after all?

…

Several hours later Hermione woke slowly to the comfort of Ginny on her shoulder and her soft snoring. It dawned on her where they were and groaned, she must have fallen asleep. She carefully withdrew her arm from under Ginny's head and rushed to the bathroom she had found the night before. She quickly used the facilities and freshened up before returning to the, now awake, and stretching redhead.

"Why didn't you wake me?" she teased as she watched Ginny get out of bed, admiring her body in the skimpy negligée she was wearing.

"What's the rush, love?" Ginny asked as she hugged her and kissed her neck; " Besides… I'd rather you well rested first…"

"Doesn't seem fair to make Fleur and Luna wait…" Hermione teased, playfully smacking Ginny's behind as she went to take her turn in the washroom.

"They were fast asleep last time I saw them," Ginny replied, "I changed them into their new lingerie, then Cara took them to their room," she smiled; "Ask me about my chat with Cara when I get back…"

Hermione shook her head as she filled two glasses with orange juice and champagne. "What now?" she thought. Couldn't they even visit the cottage without finding out something new? She filled a bowl with fruit and took it and the two glasses over to the window. She placed the glasses on the sill, then placed her hand on the window, the glass vanishing at her touch. She took a deep breath of fresh air, a hint of the nearby ocean on the wind.

On Wednesday morning she and Ginny were due at her parent's home. She smiled as she put a piece of fruit in her mouth. At some point last summer she had come to consider the cottage her real home. Here she was at peace. Safe from the darkness that threatened them at every turn. Here they could be themselves, a truly rare occurrence in their lives.

As Ginny walked up behind her she couldn't resist enjoying the view. The lingerie she had picked out for her was black, lacy, and barely covering her behind. Her eyes travelled down the length of her well toned legs… a year of running, Quidditch and that blasted tournament had left Hermione lean and strong. She placed her hands on her hips, then slowly made her way to her taunt belly, Hermione sighing and leaning into her. She kissed her neck just below her ear, then whispered;"Knut for you thoughts…"

"Only a knut?" she teased.

"Knowing you?" Ginny replied, then kissed her neck; "Probably priceless…"

"Do I want to know about Cara?" Hermione asked, closing her eyes as Ginny continued placing feather light kisses along her neck.

"It can wait," Ginny replied, her warm breath on Hermione's ear causing her to break out in goosebumps. "I am curious though… why now?"

Hermione turned in her arms, handed her her glass, then took a sip of her own.

"I gave you my reasons last night," she replied simply.

"Yes," Ginny replied, getting closer; "We've had those reasons for the last year… why now?"

"So many reasons, Shy," Hermione said with a sigh; "but only a few that matter…" she kissed her softly; "I love you… I want you… I need you so badly…" she said, her voice dripping with desire as she kissed Ginny's neck between each statement. "It's a new day and I want to make you mine…"

"I've always been yours," Ginny replied, her voice low, as she stepped back and led her toward the bed; "and you've always been mine."

"I have," Hermione said with a smile as she admired the young woman Ginny had become. Her long deep red hair almost reaching her perfectly shaped behind. The red silk of the negligée she wore only accentuating her toned body. Her breasts outlined by the fabric, then opening just below them to reveal her flat stomach. Her eyes drifted further south, her mouth watering when she noticed the small wet spot on her lace knickers. She stepped forward and hooked her thumbs under Ginny's straps, trailing kisses along the top of her shoulder as she lowered the straps down her arms; "today we finally get to celebrate it…"

Ginny's trembling fingers found the lace tie between Hermione's breasts and pulled it free. She pushed her away slightly, then parted the black lace to admire her breasts. They'd filled out nicely since last summer, she thought as she took them in her hands, her thumbs lightly rubbing the stiffening nipples.

"You really have great tits, love," said Ginny as she palmed them both, then was pulled into a deep kiss. She pushed the negligée off her shoulders, her own already pooling around her feet, she started moving Hermione toward the bed again.

Ginny sat Hermione on the bed as she ran her hands up the back of her legs, cupping her behind before running her hands under the soaking silk and pulling it down her legs. When Hermione looked up to Ginny again the look of lust and love on her face was unmistakable and it left her breathless. As Ginny pushed her down on the bed, she knew, there was nothing she wouldn't do, nothing she wouldn't sacrifice, to make her happy.

Hermione tangled her hand in her long red locks and kissed her softly, trying despite her baser urges to prolong this moment… they had waited, tortured each other nightly with frequent visits to the point just before the point of no return and now that that point no longer existed she found herself wanting to enjoy the trip there.

Ginny broke the kiss and searched her eyes a moment, the chocolate brown deeper than usual.

"Do you… have any idea…" Ginny started, whispering in her ear, then kissing just below it as she worked her way down her neck; "just how… incredibly… fucking… sexy… and… beautiful… you are?" she asked, kissing and nipping her way to her left breast and her shiny new jewelry. She reached her tongue out tentatively and licked the very tip of her nipple, causing a shiver to go through her. Ginny looked back up to Hermione, the latter biting her lip as she waited for Ginny to continue. Ginny smiled and lowered her lips around the stiffened bud, drawing both it and the silver piercing it into her mouth, Hermione gasping as she arched both her hips and chest into her, a hand tangled in her hair and pulling her closer.

"Oh… fuck… please…" Hermione gasped, her legendary mind finally shutting off in favour of her exploding nerve endings. She was quickly becoming nothing more than a ball of desire, her arousal already dripping from between her legs.

Ginny let the nipple slip from her mouth, but kept the jewelry in her teeth, pulling and twisting it slightly until Hermione moaned and forcibly pulled her away and crushed her lips with her own. Ginny ran her hand down to her right breast massaging it and pinching the nipple, Hermione groaning louder and louder. Finally unable to bear it any longer Hermione firmly wrapped her fingers around Ginny's wrist and started moving it down her body.

"Tell me what you want…" Ginny whispered, her thumb playing with the waistband of her lacy underwear.

"Please…" Hermione begged, "please… Shy… please…" Hermione pleaded, then all but growled as she stared into her eyes; "Fuck me already…"

Ginny ripped the fabric from her body and ran her hand up the inside of her thigh, her lover's legs parting in invitation. Her index finger touched moisture first, mere inches from its source, the heat radiating from her, causing her to groan as she squeezed her thigh forcefully a moment before again travelling upwards, both of them moaning into the kiss as Ginny's finger finally entered her slick folds.

"Fuck…" Ginny groaned; "You feel… so… fucking good…"

She circled the opening to Hermione's center before moving up to the little bud she knew would bring her so much pleasure. Using her index and ring fingers she spread her lips apart, her middle finger circling the little nub.

"Oh… God… oh…" Hermione gasped. She pulled Ginny closer, desperate to touch her too. She wanted to feel what Ginny was feeling, make her feel what she was feeling.

Sensing what Hermione was trying to do she moved to make it easier for her, her hand never leaving its new favourite place as she manoeuvred her breast into Hermione's mouth even as she again took Hermione's left nipple into her mouth, a marked increase in wetness soaking her hand.

Ginny groaned as Hermione's hand slipped between her legs, the scent of her lover's desire drawing her ever downwards. She repositioned her arm and, as she circled her opening with two fingers and took her first taste of Hermione directly from the source, her fingers entered her at the same time.

"Fuck!" Hermione hissed ,then dove her face between Ginny's legs, her mouth latching onto the slightly throbbing bud, sucking it and flicking it with her tongue as she entered her and matched her pace. Hermione wanted more, needed more… she added a third finger and was rewarded with a third finger inside herself.

Slowly they began to drift up from the bed, spiralling mid-air as they moved as one. Following each others lead in a sexy game of follow the leader. They picked up their pace, willing the other to give in yet not wanting the moment to end.

"_Harder…"_ Ginny thought to her, not wanting to part her mouth from Hermione's sweet nectar for even a second and was rewarded with another finger, a momentary stab of pain as her hymen broke, and then extreme pleasure as her g-spot was found for the first time. She hastened to mimic Hermione's actions, wanting her to feel the intense pleasure she was now feeling.

They began to tremble and shake as their climax approached, their bodies emitting a soft glow as they moved together. "_Don't stop…" _Hermione thought, Ginny re-doubling her efforts as they were met between her own legs.

As the wave finally crested they screamed into each other, determined not to miss a drop of the liquid now spilling forth. They felt the magic building within them as something else began to build. They both began to vibrate as their second orgasm hit them, a sonic boom covering their screams as they held onto each other for dear life, the magic they'd been storing up for the last year coming out of them in a pulse of white light.

Hermione spun on top of Ginny, licking her own juices off her face before kissing her deeply.

They gently floated back down to the bed, Ginny turning her to lay on top just before reaching it. She kissed and licked all her own juices off her face before kissing her again. She pulled back and studied her.

"That was…" she started.

"Worth waiting for…" Hermione finished, smiled, then forcibly pushed her on her back again; "and far from over…"

…

At the other side of the valley the two sleeping blondes were woken with a start as the windows of their room shook violently and seemed on the point of shattering when a pulse of magic passed through them and hit the still waking girls where they lay. They had just started to take in their surroundings when a second wave of energy passed over them.

"You okay?" Fleur asked, as Luna had closed her eyes and seemed to be trying to calm herself.

Luna wasn't sure what she was feeling. There was the sudden influx of magic but there was something else and it took her a moment to recognize the feeling as lust. She turned to Fleur and kissed her deeply her hands tearing at the flimsy material of Fleur's lingerie.

Fleur rolled her on her back and held her hands over her head. She broke the kiss and studied Luna's eyes. "Slow down, love… there's no rush…" she kissed her softly despite Luna's panting; "take a moment… look at where we are…" she let her hands ago and sat up; "Ginny must have brought us here…"

Luna ran her hands over face, her desire was almost drowning her and Fleur wanted to take in the scenery? She sighed, sat up and wrapped her arms Fleur from behind.

"Sorry…" Luna sighed and kissed her neck.

"Don't be love," Fleur assured her as she turned in her arms and kissed her; "It's just…" she smiled; "it's our first time… I want to take my time…"

"Not too much time, I hope…" Luna said with a pout.

"I doubt I'll be able to once we start," Fleur replied and kissed her neck; "let's take it slow while we can?" she all but pleaded.

Luna rested her lips on her shoulder, her eyes never leaving the liquid blue pools of Fleur's.

"I suppose I wouldn't mind freshening up a bit first," she finally relented.

"Maybe we could go for a swim?" Fleur suggested.

"Swim?" Luna said, looking around and taking in their surroundings for the first time. The bed where they woke was between the side of the mountain and a pool that ran the length of the front of the room, the far side bordered by windows that overlooked the valley. "Wow…" she said softly.

"I read of this place," Fleur said with a smile; "I never imagined I would see it…" she turned back to Luna; "All this… you… here… now… it's like a dream…"

"If this is a dream," Luna replied and kissed her neck; "let me never wake…"

Fleur kissed her forehead; "Go to the bathroom, then… I have to go too…"

"Way to spoil the mood," Luna teased and kissed her before pulling herself from the bed. She looked around a moment; "Any idea where the bathroom is?" she asked, a door opening just to the left of them as if on request. Luna laughed quietly as she shook her head, the cottage again providing when asked.

Luna returned to find Fleur picking at the fresh fruit Cara had left for them, a small content smile on her face. She walked up behind her and kissed her shoulder. Fleur turned and offered her a strawberry, Luna smiling before taking it into her mouth.

"Be right back," Fleur said, then kissed away the strawberry juice from her lips.

Luna watched her walk away, then turned her attention to the view from their room. It was astounding, the entire valley laid out below them, the ocean sparkling in the distance. They couldn't have asked for a more beautiful spot to have their first time.

She felt Fleur's lips on her neck before she realized she had returned. She turned and captured her lips with her own, her need again making itself known. Her hands went from where they rested on Fleur's hips, under the deep blue of her silk negligée, and up to cup her breasts. Her thumbs stroked the already hardened nipples causing Fleur to moan into her mouth. She brought her hands up and removed the clothing from her shoulders, kissing down her neck and then her body as she went to kneel in front of her. She inhaled deeply of her scent, the source of which was already darkening the deep blue silk between her legs. Luna swallowed, then leaned forward to take the silk between her teeth, looking up to Fleur as she drew it down her legs. She helped Fleur to step out of them, then allowed her to pull her up and into a kiss.

Fleur began to tear at the lace covering Luna's body, it was too late, she couldn't control the rising wave of arousal she was feeling and more importantly, she didn't want to. Once Luna was also naked she picked her up by the armpits, her lover wrapping her legs around her waist. She easily carried her back to the bed and laid her down as gently as she could, attempting to slow things down again and enjoy the moment.

Fleur slowly kissed her way down Luna's body, taking her time with the new jewelry in her left nipple before she felt Luna's hands on her shoulders urging her lower.

Fleur tried to slow her breathing. Tried to stop the transformation she could already feel changing her body, her wings sprouting from her shoulders even as Luna urged her downward. She was being driven crazy by the scent of Luna's desire, her Veela blood demanding to be sated. She almost growled in frustration as she felt her hands also transform. "This isn't the way, not now..." she thought as Luna stalled her and tilted her face up.

Fleur rested her chin on Luna's slightly heaving stomach and hesitantly looked up to her, all her fears and doubts melting the moment their eyes met. Luna took the hand from her right breast, four small pin pricks of blood from Fleur's talons dotted around the edge. She wasn't sure what Luna was doing as she closed her eyes until she felt her subtle magic flow through her hand, then watched in amazement as the hand kept its form but her talons vanished.

"Please... don't stop..." Luna hissed, her hands again on her shoulders and pushing her down.

Fleur smiled and continued kissing her way down Luna's belly, her scent now so close she could almost taste her. Looking up, she reached out her tongue and tentatively slid it through her slick folds, the taste so intoxicating she couldn't help but bury her face between her legs, trying to get as much as she could, the ache between her own legs becoming insufferable. She looked up to Luna again and smiled, gave her one last good sucking and then worked her way back to Luna's pouting lips.

"By Gods, woman are you trying to kill me?" Luna teased, kissing her deeply and tasting herself for the first time; "Mmmm... I taste good..." she smiled then licked Fleur's chin; "I want to taste you..." she purred.

"I was hoping you would say that..." Fleur whispered, then as she kissed her way to Luna's breasts, turned so Luna could reach hers. Letting her de-clawed hand precede her down Luna's body, she moaned into her and took her into her mouth again as she carefully slid a finger inside her. She lifted her head momentarily to gasp as Luna tasted her for the first time and, what felt like, two of her slender fingers entered her. She dove her head back between Luna's legs, her wings spreading out above them as they gently started to float up from the bed.

Even in her lust addled state Fleur recognized a problem immediately as her wing tips touched the ceiling, they were quickly running out of room. Hoping Luna would forgive her, she apparated them both outside, the two of them continuing to float upwards, even if Luna was now clinging to her for dear life with her free arm.

Fleur began to softly beat her wings, slowing their ascent, Luna relaxing just enough to let her building orgasm take hold. They lost themselves in each other, matching each others pace and crying out at the same time as their climaxes washed over them, their magic pulsing out in shock waves that matched the shocks running through their bodies, both of them glowing so brightly that, if someone were to see them, they would not have been able to distinguish what they were.

Luna turned them over as Fleur brought them to a more upright position and held her tightly in her arms as aftershocks caused their muscles to continue twitching.

"Well, that's one way to get me over my fear of flying," Luna teased and bit at her neck.

"I'm sorry," Fleur said, ducking her head as they floated back toward their room; "we were running out of space…"

"It's okay, love," Luna rush to assure her; "you didn't see me stopping, did you?" Fleur shook her head; "I trust you… I knew you'd keep me safe…"

"Always," Fleur replied and kissed her tenderly.

"Besides…" Luna grinned impishly; "as far as first times go? Pretty memorable…"

Fleur apparated them back to their bed, her body transforming back to its human form as she stared into Luna's eyes. "Who said I was done?"

**A/N 2: Well, there you have it... the chapter we've all been waiting a year for. I hope I did it justice! And thanks to HBT for your patient help on this one... I must admit, this chapter really was a scary one to write...**


	10. Chapter 10- Cara's Tale

** A/N: Hey folks, sorry this is a little later than usual, but between my laptop dying last night and being called into work three hours early... well, I hope I made it up for it with a fluffy and revealing chapter. Enjoy!**

_Elise woke the same way she had for most of the last decade, the warm soft body of her dearest friend, Fabiana, asleep in her arms. Their nights together had started shortly after Elise and her family had found her, almost starved to death, her family, her entire village, dead around her. They found out later that she had fled in the midst of a raid, an Empath, she was quickly overwhelmed by the emotions around her then returned only to find everyone dead._

_ Elise was sharing a room with her and heard her whimpering in her sleep, her whole body shaking, tears running down her face. She hadn't thought twice about it, taking the shaking girl in her arms, falling asleep only after Fabiana had finally settled. They never talked about it and pretty soon they were crawling in bed with each other every night, Fabiana falling asleep as Elise rubbed her back._

_ Fabiana's nightmares plagued her for years. Nightmares so horrifying only the strength of Elise's arms could soothe them. When the dreams finally stopped years later, neither could find a reason to alter their sleeping arrangement. Slowly, over the years, their friendship turned to something more. Until, that is, they found her... Fania._

_ Elise couldn't help but smile as she thought of the curly-haired brunette. She was the only person she had ever healed without ill effect to herself and, the moment the bruising had left her face, Elise knew she was falling in love. In the time since she had tried to deny her feelings, afraid of losing the one constant in her life, Fabiana._

_ "Would you stop worrying about me and go to her before she leaves us?" Fabiana stated sleepily but no less determined._

_ "But..."_

_ Fabiana rolled to her back so she could see her friend while they talked._

_ "I'm not going anywhere, El, you're stuck with me..." she assured her._

_ "But I'm not ready to..."_

_ "Be honest, love, you've been pulling away ever since we found her," Fabiana silenced her with a kiss; "I love you, you know that I do," she stroked her cheek; "I want you to be happy..."_

_ "Who says I'm not happy now?" Elise countered._

_ "Me..." replied Fabiana; "what you share with her is different... more... you will never be happy again if you lose her," she kissed her again; "She loves you, El, why are you fighting this?"_

_ "I'm not ready for everything to change," Elise all but whined as she snuggled into her neck and pulled her close again._

_ "This, what we have?" Fabiana said quietly, kissing her forehead; "It'll always be here... I'm not saying I'm hoping to become a part of what you two have," she smiled; "but I wouldn't be surprised," she brushed some hair from Elise's forehead when she propped herself on an elbow to study her; "either way, love, you are my friend, my sister... I want you to be happy... now go, before it's too late..."_

_ "You promise you'll stay?" Elise asked again._

_ "I promise," Fabiana replied with a sigh; "Go..." she accepted Elise's kiss; "I don't want to lose her either..."_

_ Elise got out of bed, dressed quickly and went to talk to Fania. As she climbed the hill towards her camp she couldn't help but recall the day they had found her and the spark she had felt the first time she had held her hand. They didn't understand it, nor could they understand why all three of them and their gifts had gotten stronger since they met. It was the excuse Fania had used not to move into the house with them as she had yet to learn how to block them._

_ She came upon her, sitting on the ground hugging her knees, her bags packed in front of her._

_ "I hope this means you're moving into the house with us," Elise asked lightly as she went to sit next to her._

_ "I'm leaving, El..." Fania replied quietly, unable to meet her eyes._

_ "No, Fan... you're not," Elise corrected._

_ "Please, don't make this any harder than it already is," Fania all but pleaded._

_ "Why?"_

_ Fania couldn't find the words. When they had found her she'd had trouble trusting them, but in the months since, she'd found herself feeling something new and different for the redhead. She cared for them both, however, and she wasn't about to come between them._

_ "I can't stay..." she finally said, fighting back tears._

_ "No," Elise replied firmly as she took her hand and laced her fingers; "You can't go..."_

_ "It's not your choice..." Fania said, her frustration getting the better of her as she tried to pull her hand away. _

_ "Please... just listen..." Elise sighed; "if you still want to go... I won't stop you..." Fania nodded reluctantly and finally met her eyes, the fear of her immanent departure etched in her features. "You can't go," she repeated and took a deep breath; "I'm in love with you, Fania... I've been falling in love with you since the moment we met..." she shook her head and looked away; "If you don't feel the same..."_

_ "But I do," Fania rushed to assure her; "I do feel the same," she smiled; "but I thought... you and Fab..."_

_ "I love Fabiana, I do," Elise replied, sighing despite her lightening heart; "but what I feel for you is... different... this..." she showed her their joined hands; "I don't know what it means but I only feel it with you..." she smiled as she studied Fania's eyes; "I can't imagine my life without her and, if I hadn't found you, we would have likely been lovers by now..."_

_ "You're not?" Fania interrupted in her surprise._

_ "It didn't feel right after I met you," Elise replied with a blush. They sat quietly for a bit, the weight of their confessions heavy in the air._

_ "You really love me?" Fania asked._

_ Instead of replying, Elise turned to her and gently pushed her on her back before kissing her tenderly._

_ "I always have, and I always will," Elise said earnestly and kissed her softly again before adding; "in this life and every one that follows..."_

...

Hermione woke, her head on Ginny's shoulder, her body draped across the sleeping redhead. She turned her head and kissed the shoulder she had rested her head on, then looked to the window to judge the time. She wasn't sure but she guessed it to be late afternoon if the noises her stomach were making were any indication.

She looked back to Ginny and smiled... she couldn't remember being this happy or relaxed. After making love for several hours they finally succumbed to their need for sleep. Hermione had never felt so well-rested or had as much as energy as she did now.

Deciding it was time for them to experience another first, she slowly started to kiss her way down Ginny's body. She paused, briefly, before taking Ginny's piercing into her mouth, wondering idly if that had been an unintended motivation of Nym's... she would, so long as they kept their new jewelry, be a part of their lovemaking whether present or not. Hermione smiled as she finally took it and her nipple in her mouth, considering how good they felt, she really didn't mind.

Ginny moaned quietly as she woke, spurning Hermione to continue her downward journey, Ginny's legs opening, seemingly of their own accord when she reached them. She inhaled deeply of her unique scent before magically lengthening her tongue and running it from her center, through her already dampening folds, to her swollen bud and then, when she returned to her opening, pushed her tongue inside.

Ginny groaned loudly and tangled a hand in her hair, of all the times Hermione had woken her with her touch this was, by far, her favourite.

Hermione worked her way back up, replacing her tongue with her fingers inside her as she again took the now fully erect bud in her mouth, sucking it and flicking it with her tongue even as Ginny's muscles began clenching around her fingers.

"Oh... God... yes... more..." Ginny gasped.

Hermione moaned as she added a third finger, going deeper than before until she found that one spot inside her that would really make her scream. Ginny began pulling at her hair, almost painfully, as she urged her on. She reached up with her free hand to play with her piercing, the action enough to push her over the edge.

She struggled to lap up every drop of the liquid now spewing forth, Ginny's climax causing her to have a small one of her own. She finally stopped her licking when she felt a gentle tug of her hair, Ginny pulling her up for a kiss.

"Definitely my new favourite way to be woken up," Ginny joked.

"It occurs to me," Hermione said then kissed her tenderly; "during all these hours making love," she kissed her again; "that I haven't once reminded you that I love you..."

"You don't have to say the words, love, I already know..." Ginny interrupted.

"Still... it's nice to hear..."

"I love you," Ginny interrupted again pushing her to her back and kissing her deeply; "so... damned... much..." she added between kisses.

"I love you too, Shy," Hermione replied with a smile, running her hand down Ginny's back she frowned.

"What?"

"Let me see your back," Hermione replied as she sat up.

"Love?" Ginny said as did the same and she felt Hermione run her hand over something on the small of her back.

"You have a brand, like Cara's..." Hermione informed her; "See if I have one?"

They reversed positions, Ginny not finding Hermione's mark right away as her's was at the base of her neck.

"Wait... we haven't talked about Cara..." Ginny realized, turning Hermione to face her.

Hermione looked down and took her hand before meeting her eyes again.

"It happened... some time today... when we bonded, Gin, something changed..." she smiled and shook her head; "It started when you lost your voice, but now? I know everything you know... everything about you..." she kissed her softly; "and I think you'll find..."

"I know everything you know..." Ginny said, awed as Hermione pulled her into her arms; "Wow..." she added softly then laughed when Hermione's stomach rumbled.

Hermione summoned her watch; "'Wow' is right... it's almost five..." she tilted Ginny's face up to her; "How about a shower and dinner with our friends and Cara?"

"Is it weird, after doing what we've been doing all day..."

"That we miss them?" finished Hermione as she stood from the bed. "I think there's two reasons... we spend so much time together and we physically miss their magic..." she explained as she took her in her arms again. She scanned for their friends and found them awake. _"If you two can keep your hands off each other for a bit, we wondering if you'd like to join us for dinner..."_

_"We were curious if you'd take your head out from between each others legs long enough to eat..." _teased Fleur.

_"Hey... breakfast of Triwizard Champions,"_ joked Hermione.

_"Oh, that was bad..."_ Luna replied, her amusement clear.

_"Give us an hour?"_ asked Fleur.

_"Okay... meet us out back," _replied Ginny as she kissed Hermione's neck then whispered to her; "I only need half that time..." she nipped at her neck as she lifted her, Hermione wrapping her legs around her waist as she was carried to the shower.

As Ginny pushed her up against the shower wall and her hand found its way between her legs, Hermione wondered why the hell they had waited so long.

...

_ She opened her eyes slowly, sure she was dreaming... but no, the pain in every part of her body was far too real for any dream._

_ "Water?" a soft voice asked._

_ She turned to it and was lost in the depths of silver eyes. She nodded numbly and took a cup of water from a beautiful redhead in her free hand, her other held tightly by the woman with the mesmerizing eyes. She met those eyes again as she sipped her water._

_ "My name is Fabiana," the blond told her then looked to the redhead; "These are my sisters... Elise," the redhead smiled; "and her wife, Fania..." she added, the Veela noticing the brunette holding the redhead for the first time. There was a squeeze of her hand and she looked back to Fabiana. "You're safe here..."_

_ "How can I understand you when you're speaking a language I've never heard?" she frowned; "How am I speaking it?"_

_ "I hope you'll forgive me," Fania started as she tentatively sat on the bed next to her; "You're not the only one with magic..." she smiled; "but we have other gifts as well..." she shook her head; "When we found you... I used my gift to read your mind so we could find out what happened. I'm sorry... it's not usually something I do without permission but..."_

_ "It's okay..." the Veela assured her._

_ "Still, I don't feel good about it..." Fania smiled; "But we realized you wouldn't be able to understand us when you woke so I gave you the ability to..."_

_ "Why can't I remember anything?" she asked._

_ "You were having terrible nightmares," Fabiana said softly._

_ "We were afraid you would hurt yourself," added Elise._

_ "Your memories are still there," Fabiana said sadly; "I have hidden them from you until you're well enough to cope with them..."_

_ "Thank you," she said sincerely, then looked to Fabiana again; "And what is your gift?"_

_ "I can feel and affect the emotions of others," she replied then looked to Elise; "and Elise is a Healer, but..."_

_ "She couldn't heal me because I'm not like you?" the Veela surmised._

_ "Normally I take someone's injury then heal myself," she smiled; "Thanks to you I've learned to channel my gift into my magic. You still have a way to go, but you should be up and around in a few weeks..." she hesitated a moment; "If you can... I should, um, take a look at your wings..."_

_ "You really know everything about me..." the Veela said awed and, letting Fabiana's hand go for the first time, turned to lay on her stomach. She felt a pair of hands carefully remove the top of her nightdress and hid her head in her hands as she willed herself to transform._

_ "They're not too bad," Elise commented, gently running her hands along her wings as she used her magic to heal them. "I wouldn't try flying anytime soon but it could have been much worse..."_

_ When the Veela again transformed and turned over her face was wet with tears._

_ "I do not scare you? What I am?" she asked._

_ Fabiana took her hand again._

_ "We are older than we look," she told her; "We've seen and done much..." she smiled shyly; "We have seen your memories and your heart... we know we have nothing to fear from you... I hope, in time, you'll come to feel the same about us."_

_ "We should let you get some rest," Fania said, smiling at the pair holding hands on the cot. She concentrated a moment and enlarged the bed for them magically, the Veela appearing surprised. "For your comfort," she explained._

_ "Thank you... for everything..." she said quietly._

_ Elise and Fania both bent down and placed a kiss on her head before briefly kissing Fabiana._

_ "Just so you know," Elise said, her look mischievous; "Fab hasn't left your side since we found you..."_

_ "Try to get some rest Fab, you need it too," Fania added._

_ Fabiana nodded and watched her friends leave before looking back to the young woman staring at her in wonder._

_ "And what is your name?" Fabiana asked._

_ "I..." she shook her head; "I don't remember..."_

_ "Well..." Fabiana smiled; "You're far more beautiful than any flower I have ever seen, but... yes, Fleur it is..." she smiled; "it means flower but in a language from across the water..."_

_ "Then I shall call you Moon," Fleur said with a smile; "though you are far brighter than any moon I have ever seen..." Fleur struggled to sit up again, Fabiana helping her through their clasped hands. "This," she said, indicating their hands; "do you know what it means?"_

_ "I do," Fabiana smiled; "My friends feel it for each other..."_

_ Fleur reached out and stroked her cheek, smiling as Fabiana leaned into her touch._

_ "Will you stay with me tonight?" she asked shyly._

_ "Tonight and every night..." Fabiana replied, going to sit beside her on the cot. She laid down and sighed in relief as Fleur rested her head on her shoulder; "you are safe here... and you always be..."_

...

Luna woke, laying on her back, Fleur's head resting on her shoulder, a leg and arm draped across her. She kissed her forehead and sighed, it was almost hard to believe this was her life now. A year ago she was dating Padma, starting a physical relationship with her two best friends and convinced she was going to end up with Harry and he was going to be her first. She laughed lightly, "What a difference a year makes," she thought.

She carefully rolled to her side as she pushed Fleur to her back. A year ago she could never have imagined her life like this. Engaged to a beautiful French part Veela who she was now somehow older than. They hadn't talked about it, but she for one wasn't looking forward to September. Yes, they would have their own quarters, and they would be legally married so there was little anyone could say about their relationship, but they would still be hiding their ages and what they could do.

She leaned down and kissed Fleur's shoulder... this part of her life was perfect. From the moment Hermione and Ginny had pointed it out, she knew she was lost. As soon as their lips touched she'd felt relief. Even though her friends had done everything possible to include her and make her feel loved, she was always scared that she would never find what they had.

Luna gently moved the sheet from Fleur's body, the evidence of their lovemaking on full display across her chest and neck, both dotted with bite and hickey marks. It wasn't that they enjoyed causing each other pain but they couldn't deny the incredible turn on it was as each reacted to it. The marks stood out on Fleur's pale skin, Luna tracing each with her fingertips before softly kissing them.

Fleur woke slowly, Luna's hair tickling her as she placed soft kisses all over her upper body. She tangled her hand in Luna's hair and pulled her up for a kiss. Luna broke the kiss first and pulled away with a serene smile on her face. She traced Fleur's eyebrows with her fingertips and then along her jaw before softly kissing her again.

"Will we ever be sated?" Luna asked quietly.

"Eventually," Fleur replied with a laugh; "Maybe..."

"It's better now, though, than before..." Luna said thoughtfully; "I mean... I still... but... it's not as urgent now..."

"Because we finally gave into it," Fleur said with a smile as pushed Luna on her back; "we're not fighting ourselves anymore..." she trailed her hand down Luna's body, a impish smile on her face as she started kissing her way to her left nipple; "I can have you..." she dipped her fingers between Luna's legs, stifling a moan as she found her already wet; "anytime I want you..."

"Anytime..." Luna agreed then hissed as Fleur entered her.

"You feel amazing," Fleur said, her voice hoarse as she worked her fingers inside her, her thumb moving to rub higher up, Luna's hips arching to meet each thrust. She took Luna's left nipple into her mouth, pulling and twisting the jewellery until Luna's hand tangled painfully in her hair and pulled her up, crashing their mouths together in a searing kiss as she rolled herself on top of her.

Luna sat up, straddling Fleur's leg, grinding it and the fingers inside her. Fleur sat up, her teeth grazing Luna's neck as she added a finger inside her.

"Fuck..." Luna moaned, prompting Fleur to push her back to her back, and throwing her legs over shoulders, dove between her legs tongue first, her fingers now thrusting even harder as she felt Luna's orgasm start to build, her muscles clenching around her fingers almost painfully, Luna's heels digging in the middle of her back as she arched off the bed.

"Oh God... oh... oh... oh Fleur!" Luna screamed as her orgasm tore through her.

Fleur couldn't help but smile as Luna came in her mouth, the taste so sweet she couldn't get enough. She didn't know if the lust for her mate would ever be sated but she looked forward to trying, she thought as she kissed her way back up Luna's body.

"Fuck woman... what you do to me..." Luna said with a large grin; "even after all our Dreamwalks... I never thought..."

_"If you two can keep your hands off each other for a bit, we wondering if you'd like to join us for dinner..." _Hermione's voice interrupted.

"If I didn't know better, I'd swear she was awaiting for us to finish..." Luna joked.

_"We were curious if you'd take your head out from between each others legs long enough to eat..." _teased Fleur.

_"Hey... breakfast of Triwizard Champions,"_ joked Hermione.

_"Oh, that was bad..."_ Luna replied, laughing as she rubbed a hand over her face.

_"Give us an hour?"_ asked Fleur, chuckling as well.

_"Okay... meet us out back," _replied Ginny.

"We should probably take a shower," Luna commented as she ran her hand along Fleur's back, her fingers skimming the various scratch marks she had left; "we smell like sex..."

"You make that sound like a bad thing," Fleur teased.

"Not at all... but there's a fair amount of dried blood on your back as well," Luna clarified.

"Yes," Fleur replied with a smirk as she took Luna's hand in her own and studied her fingers; "you need to cut your nails, love..."

"I didn't hurt you anywhere else, did I?" Luna asked in concern.

"No, love..." Fleur assured her and kissed her softly; "but you definitely took my virginity today..."

"You too..." Luna laughed; "I'm so happy you were my first..."

"C'mon..." Fleur said as she sat up; "let's go take a shower..."

"Love?" Luna said, Fleur turning at the concern in her voice as she felt her tracing something in the middle of her back; "has this always been here?"

"Has what always been where?" Fleur asked in confusion.

"You have a brand," Luna sat up and licked away the blood from several nearby scratch marks so she could see what it was, Fleur shivering in appreciation despite her concern; "Figures..." Luna laughed; "It's the Amice knot..." she shook her head and turned so Fleur could check her back; "How much you want to bet they've always been there but we've been hiding them from ourselves like we did our ages..."

"Probably," Fleur replied as she found Luna's mark in almost the identical place on her back; "I wonder what purpose they serve..."

"Well, if Ginny and Hermione have them..."

"Then yes, Hermione probably already has a theory," Fleur laughed as she stood, her hand out to Luna.

Luna smiled, took her hand and followed her to the shower. They carefully washed the blood from each others backs, Luna kissing her way down Fleur's back after she rinsed away the soap. She knelt when she reached the small of her back and turned Fleur's back to the wall. She looked up to her and smiled before licking up the inside of her left leg, lifting it and resting it in her shoulder as her tongue started it's work between her legs.

Fleur used the leg over her shoulder to pull her closer, biting her lip as she felt Luna enter her.

"Oui... oui... oui..." Fleur squealed as her climax rolled through her, her right leg giving out but being held up by Luna.

Luna couldn't help but laugh as she lowered her shaking left leg to the ground and kissed her way back up Fleur's body.

"What?" Fleur asked as she tried to catch her breath; "So I come in French..."

...

The four friends met at the back door, Ginny going to hug Luna, then frowning slightly.

"What did you two do to each other?" she asked.

"What?" Luna asked with a blush.

"I mean the scratches on both your backs," Ginny explained; "want me to heal them, or...?"

"It might be a good idea," Fleur replied with a laugh.

"But chances are, there'll be more later," Luna added, her colour deepening.

"Still... the deeper ones might scar..." Fleur amended.

"Hmmm..." Ginny hummed thoughtfully as they walked towards the table; "Maybe you should take this?" she said as she took the heat pendant from around her neck; "It's full right now so it would be a good test to see how well it works..." she hugged Luna again, taking on her scratches and healing herself before she even felt the pain.

"Thanks..." Luna said, kissing her briefly.

"C'mon," Ginny said, turning to Fleur; "you next..."

Fleur smiled as Ginny took into her arms and healed her back and other marks for her.

"Thank you," Fleur said quietly before kissing Ginny softly.

"You're welcome," Ginny replied with a smile; "always happy to help my friends heal from their sex..."

"Oh stop!" Luna said, shoving Ginny playfully; "I've seen the two of you together..."

"Yes," Hermione said as she hugged Ginny from behind and kissed her neck; "it is nice to have a lover who constantly heals you..."

"I'm surprised you stopped at all," Fleur teased as they sat around the table.

"Even I need sleep sometimes," Ginny replied with a laugh.

"Cara!" Hermione called, the little elf appearing immediately. "Would you be able to get us some dinner and, um, maybe join us?"

Cara regarded her a moment; "Yes," she sighed; "I suppose we do have a lot to talk about. I'll be right back with your meal..." she said and disappeared.

"Okay... one of you want to tell us what's going on?" Luna asked.

"Well, when the two of you fell asleep on the couch last night, Cara was kind enough to take you to your room," Ginny started; "I noticed she has a brand, the Amice knot, on her back."

"And then we woke up with our own," Hermione added; "would I be correct in assuming you have them too?"

They both nodded just as Cara returned. She laid their food out on the table then, after magically modifying a chair so she would be at the same height as the girls, took a seat. She quietly made herself a plate of food before meeting their eyes again.

"So, I guess you have questions," Cara stated.

"Don't we always?" Hermione joked.

"I suppose you do," Cara replied with a smile; "what is amazing is how often you come up with the right answers."

"You're in contact with Gringott and the Goblins, aren't you?" Ginny asked.

Cara smiled and nodded as she chewed her food thoughtfully.

"Why do I get the feeling you're contemplating how much to tell us?" Luna asked.

"Maybe because you're an Empath?" Cara teased.

"Cara, please," Hermione said; "tell us your story?"

The elf sat back and looked around the valley, sighed, then looked to Hermione.

"We were here before the Sister's claimed this valley as their Sanctuary... you see, elves don't have to eat, we survive on magic," she smiled; "and, as you know, this valley, like Hogwarts, is rife with natural magic... it was the Sisters who discovered we could also survive on the magic of witches and wizards... the stronger the human, the stronger the elf."

"Are you saying house elves descended from the elves in this valley?" asked Fleur.

"Most of them, yes," Cara replied; "I am more closely related to some than others... for example, Lucy, Rue's mother, is my aunt."

"Can you explain why you sound far more intelligent than most elves I've met?" asked Hermione, "Well, except maybe for Rue..." she amended.

"You four, of all people, understand the need to hide one's abilities," Cara replied.

"So house elves are faking it?" asked Luna, incredulous.

"No," Cara replied sadly; "there are few who remember how we used to be..." she sighed; "After Elise and Fleur died, the elves that were here decided the best way to help them when they returned would be to go out into the world and integrate themselves into magical society. Unfortunately most wizards couldn't cope with servants who were just as intelligent and magical, and in some cases more so, than them, and killed the elves, until that is, they learned to conform to the way they were expected to act," she reached for and took a sip of her mead. "Over the centuries elves became what they had pretended to be... believing they deserved the harsh treatment they sometime receive from their 'masters' because they believed themselves inferior."

"But then... all elves have the ability to be just as smart as you," Ginny commented.

"They have the potential, yes, but who would take the time to teach them? They've spent so long in the service of others that they've forgotten how to think for themselves," Cara replied.

"I don't know if that's true," remarked Hermione; "Dobby took it upon himself to warn Harry and he saved Narcissa... things I'm sure no one told him to do..."

"Dobby is..." Cara laughed; "a character... but he's learning from Rue, who incidentally, is as intelligent as she is because of you, Hermione."

"You've met Dobby?" asked Fleur.

"He's here," Cara informed them; "along with Rue, her parents and a few others who offered to come help," she smiled as she looked to Hermione; "For once your father had a good idea..." Hermione laughed; "He and Minerva were here just before he left to meet with the Giants searching the library for any information that might be of use... I heard Minerva commenting that she was worried about all the people who would be staying here and he suggested that some of the elves from Godric's Hollow come work here as they have little work to do with no one living there at the moment..."

"What about the Crouches?" Ginny asked.

"With the Dark Lord returned and assuming they were dead they decided to flee before they were found," she frowned a moment; "I think they went to America if I'm not mistaken."

"How is Rue?" Hermione asked fondly.

"She is huge," Cara laughed; "It has been too long since the pitter patter of elf baby feet has been heard here..." she smiled; "her first should arrive before the end of the week and the other two will be born in a month and two months."

"Can you take us to see her after we're done eating?" asked Hermione.

"You'll have to wait, I'm afraid," Cara replied; "She is quite excited to see you but is not, um, fit, to be around at the moment," she smiled at their confusion; "That's how we know the first one is close... the elf mother becomes so protective of her young that she'll revert to something of a feral state... the only elf she can bear right now is her mother."

"Speaking of bearing things... these marks that appeared... what can you tell us about them?" Hermione asked; "And why are they in different places on all of us?"

"Ours are almost in the same place," corrected Luna.

"I'm surprised you haven't figured it out," Cara teased; "the marks are over the places that represent what aspect you best exemplify... Mind, body, heart and soul..." she explained, nodding to each as she named their aspect.

"But what are their purpose? Why would they chose to brand themselves?" asked Ginny.

"They work much like the jewelry Nym gave you yesterday..."

"God, was that only yesterday?" Luna muttered under her breath.

"So they connect us?" asked Ginny.

"And identify you as the Sisters returned," Cara added.

"So... those that have recognized us... the Centaurs, Goblins, Merpeople, Fae... it's because the sensed this mark on us?" Hermione surmised, smiling when Cara nodded. "Can you tell us anything about the dreams we've been having of our former lives?"

"So they've started," Cara said with a shake of her head; "as I said this morning, when my mother died I inherited all her memories, as well as those who came before, and all her knowledge... you have access to all your souls have learned since the Sisters' time... your dreams... well, as you've probably guessed, they are memories only..."

"We're interpreting them so we can understand them," Hermione concluded for her.

"What are you talking about?" asked Fleur.

"Have you not thought it odd, that despite our memories being from centuries ago, they speak like we do and are speaking English?" Hermione asked.

"Now that you mention it..." Ginny shook her head; "it's exactly the same thing Tom did to me... updated my old memories to make me think they were of me and Hermione..."

"Cara? Why are you feeling so guilty? All you've ever done is help us..." Luna asked, the guilt coming from the elf was unmistakable.

"My mark," she said quietly, looking down; "it protects me from being put under anyone's influence..."

"You could have stopped it," Ginny said quietly.

"I knew what Albus was doing... keeping them apart," her eyes filled with tears; "we, like the Goblins, were instructed not to interfere... when he thought he put me under his Imperius, I had no choice but to play along," she looked to Hermione as tears started to wet her face; "I was so happy when you got them back together... please, don't tell them..."

"We won't," Hermione assured her as she went to sit next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder; "And it's not your fault, Cara... he made that choice, not you..." she wiped away her tears; "Can I ask you something?" Cara nodded; "If you were tasked with making sure we received things when we needed them, why give Radha our rings?"

Cara looked off to the distance, Hermione had hit a nerve.

"When her parents were killed she came here to join them... she felt she had nothing to live for," she paused a moment to wipe her nose; "I gave her the rings hoping she would realize that she did have a future... with Minerva..." she shook her head; "I didn't know she would take her life anyway, years later..." she looked to Luna; "but, I know now, that she had to die so you could be born and reunite with your Sisters..."

"Radha knew her time was short," Hermione said quietly, remembering the note that had been with the rings; "She knew the rings weren't meant for them... she'd had a dream..."

"Radha was dying," Cara admitted, somewhat reluctantly; "The Healers who examined her after the 'incident' on New Year's Eve discovered it..."

"I thought magic could heal just about anything?" Ginny commented.

"It can, if found early enough," Cara said sadly; "She had a brain tumour that caused her gift to become unmanageable... even if they could have removed it she would have been left a vegetable..."

"That's why she took her life?" Luna asked.

"It is... she didn't want to be a burden to Minerva," Cara replied.

"You never told Minerva, did you?" asked Fleur.

"I didn't see a point... she was already devastated," Cara explained.

"You wanted to spare her the knowledge of Radha's decision?" asked Hermione.

"I did," Cara confirmed.

"I think you should tell her, Cara..." the others looked at Luna, somewhat skeptical, "she thinks Radha killed herself because she couldn't cope with what she had done... something Minerva has always felt she could have helped her with."

"But if she knew she took her life to spare them both pain?" Hermione surmised, and took Cara's hand; "She might just find some peace..."

"It would also relieve her guilt of what happened at the New Year's Eve party," added Ginny.

Cara looked down, she couldn't deny they had a point. As smart as she was, the four were far wiser than she in their young years.

"You will let me tell her?" Cara asked quietly.

"Of course..." Hermione assured her.

Cara nodded then met their eyes again.

"The four of you..." she started, pride in her voice; "you are so like them in some ways... the relationship the four of you share, while similar, is actually far stronger," she looked to Fleur; "That is because of your ability to love more than one person despite having found your one true mate..."

"That's how they learned of the Soulmate bond," Luna interrupted; "Because Fleur actually knew what it meant..."

"And that is another thing that is different," Cara replied with a smile; "while the Sisters were each intelligent in their own way," she shook her head and laughed; "You've found a way to combine all four methods..."

"But, if what you say is really true," Hermione said pensively; "it's not necessarily intelligence, but knowledge... a millennium of life experiences..."

"No, Hermione, knowledge is useless without the ability to use it," Cara interrupted.

"Now I know how we make other people feel before they realize how old we really are," Ginny joked.

"You also have a sense of humour they never possessed," Cara joked. "Can you imagine, now, how the general magical population would react if they discovered we could be just as smart as them?" she shook her head sadly, "No... my kin is safer as they are..." she sighed.

"That's going to change, Cara..." Luna assured her.

"And that is why you have allies," Cara informed they proudly; "In you four we see the possibility of being truly free... but I was telling you about yourselves," she said, a twinkle in her eye, she was enjoying the first chance to have an actual conversation with someone who understood all that she was saying. "Hermione... you, most of all, are very different from you ancient counterpart... Fania..." she shook her head; "it was like she had a switch... no grey... no second chances..." she sighed; "Her gift was... more raw than yours... she never found the control that you displayed immediately... she couldn't help it... she saw through to the hearts of those she faced... she left no one left able to recount what had happened..."

"She killed them all?" Hermione asked in hushed voice.

"Not all," Cara replied, a small smile; "but she would wipe the memories of those left behind... women and children, a few men if they were deemed worthy... they'd seen too many races almost annihilated to doom another to the same fate..."

Hermione looked to Fleur, her expression neutral as she asked; "Fleur? The journals have changed, haven't they?"

"They have..." she shook her head; "at first I thought it was just my imagination... that it had been so long since I'd read them that I just wasn't remembering them very well..." she frowned; "I skipped ahead... there are fewer pictures and more words..."

"They did it to protect themselves, and us, until we were..." Hermione laughed unexpectedly; "_mature_ enough to understand... had enough experiences of our own to know that, while I might sometimes worry I'm a little too much like Fania, I know I'll never be her..."

"You have always astounded me Hermione," Cara said, awed; "Your deductive reasoning... can I ask what you were talking about on the Eiffel Tower?"

"Oh... just the very nature of magic and why some people are more powerful than others," Ginny remarked, offhandedly.

"You forgot the Squib and Muggleborn part," Luna added with a laugh.

"I see now why you took such measures to protect your conversation," Cara remarked, impressed. "I would like to hear that theory sometime..." she joked. "You should know your conversations here and your new quarters at the school are private..."

"Just how closely in contact _are you_ with the Goblins?" Luna asked.

Cara turned in her chair and pointed towards the other end of the valley where it opened to the ocean beyond; "There remains a small settlement, maybe two, three hundred Goblins, since the time of the Sisters," she turned back to them and pointed to the tops of the mountains; "there are more watchtowers than I can remember all along the top of the mountains..." she looked to Hermione; "if you could produce a pulsing white light they will reply... I told them this morning that I was going to reveal their presence here, I thought, perhaps, it would calm some of your fears of having your parents come here to live.."

"Thank you, Cara," Hermione replied as she held her hand out, a Quaffle sized ball of light appearing, pulsing as it began to rise. The girls stood from their seats in awe as, one by one, lights appeared, one after another, along the mountain ridge and then, causing them to gasp, all at once... in the twilight the sight was truly a sight to behold as it appeared a ring of light now surrounded them.

"They're showing off," Cara joked; "they usually only have a dozen or so manned..."

"Does Gringott know you're the one who has been collecting stuff from our vaults?" asked Ginny.

"No..." Cara smiled; "your vault is charmed to only allow the Goblins, those they bring there, and those bearing the Amice knot..."

"You've certainly given us a lot to think about," Fleur commented, regretfully.

"And for that I am sorry," Cara replied apologetically; "I know you came here to escape, if only for a few days..."

"No... it's okay..." Hermione replied with a squeeze of Cara's shoulder; "besides, we already know most of this... you've just reminded us that we do..."

"I have to admit," Cara said fondly; "it is nice to be myself for a change..." they all began laughing, knowing exactly how she felt. "But I should leave you to your evening..."

Hermione knelt in front of her, her hands on Cara's shoulders; "Thank you for your candour..."

"No," Cara shook her head as she went hug Hermione; "thank you..."

"You've carried these burdens alone too long, Cara..." Luna said gently, kneeling behind her and placing a hand on her shoulder; "thank you for sharing them with us..."

"You, Luna, are far too perceptive for your own good..." Cara teased fondly.

"Try spending the better part of every day with her," joked Ginny.

"Can I get you anything else before I go?" Cara asked.

"No," Hermione said as she stood; "it's been a long day and I have a feeling it'll be a few hours before we actually get to sleep..."

"Your 'special' rooms are cleaned..." Cara started, but paused when she saw the look on the girls faces.

"No... I don't think we want to be that far apart overnight," Hermione explained, looking to the others for confirmation.

"I guess it has been awhile," joked Fleur.

"We'll see you in the morning," Luna said, hugging Cara; "Thank you..."

"No thanks are needed Luna..." Cara smiled; "You've given my life meaning and purpose... lofty goals for a 'common house elf'."

"I've never considered elves 'common'," Hermione joked affectionately.

"Even though you see all beings as equal, Hermione, the truth is? You are far superior to most," she held her hand up to stop Hermione's protest; "your gifts and intelligence set you apart, but it is your compassion that sets you above all others."

"Cara... I..." Hermione said, stunned at her pronouncement.

"All four of you..." she shook her head and laughed lightly; "You're changing the world without even trying and not for your own personal gain," she shook her head again; "And you wonder why your allies have given their lives to make sure that you are successful," she looked to them all before continuing; "You will lead us all into the light without anyone ever realizing you were responsible... a truly selfless goal and worth fighting, sacrificing and even dying for..."

"We don't want that... people dying for us..." Luna said quietly, voicing what they were all thinking.

"I know that you don't," Cara smiled; "Keep to the path you're on and you just might succeed," she smiled; "but enough for tonight... I'll bring you some mead and some of your new favourite habit..."

"I'm sorry?" Hermione asked.

"Cannabis is hardly new," Cara laughed; "we have a centuries old field hidden in the mountains..."

Hermione took a deep breath and looked around.

"I don't know about you guys, but it's a beautiful night... what do you say we sit out here for a bit and just relax?" she suggested; "Maybe talk about our plans for the next few days?"

"We could play with the pups for a bit..." Ginny added with a grin.

"I'll be right back," Cara said with a smile.

The girls shook their heads and walked over to the grass, Hermione calling to the pups as they walked. They ran up just as Cara returned, Hermione conjuring a ball and throwing it as far as she could. The wolves looked at her in confusion.

"It's supposed to be fun," she laughed; "You go get it, bring it back, I throw it again..." if wolves could look unconvinced, they did; "make a race of it, see who can get it first..." Hermione laughed; "Oh would you just give it a try?" The wolves looked at each other, seemed to agree, then tore off after the ball, Baddy the first to return with it. "Again?" Hermione asked, the wolves nodded, she handed the ball to Ginny, figuring she could get more distance.

They spent the next few hours being typical teenagers... drinking mead, smoking weed, and playing fetch with their three wolves. Well, maybe not entirely typical. Aside from the wolves, the nature of the discussion regarding their plans for the next day would have certainly raised a few eyebrows were they overheard. In the end they decided to spend the night with their mates and then, sometime after breakfast the next day, Luna and Ginny would head up to the lake while Fleur and Hermione explored the cottage. When Ginny and Luna felt they were ready for Hermione they would let her know then Fleur would join them shortly after, flying up rather than apparating. She was starting to really enjoy flying and couldn't pass up the chance to spread her wings.

They wandered up to their rooms shortly after sunset, the combined effects of a very long day, a lot of mead and the strongest joints they had ever smoked, taking their toll. As they kissed their friends goodnight they shared the memories of each others dreams, each of them smiling when they ended.

"Nothing's changed between the four of us... has it?" asked Ginny, uncertainly, it was something they had all worried about.

"No..." Fleur smiled; "and it's more than the just the draw we feel to each others magic..." she took Hermione's face in her hands; "we know that I have loved you before, at least once, and despite my Veela soul, my heart is human," she turned to Luna and took her hand; "My heart belongs only to you..." she looked back to Hermione and Ginny, "but it beats for all of you..."

Hermione reached out and stroked her cheek.

"I couldn't have put it better myself..." she said, looking forward to the next day when she could show her just how much her heart beat for her.

"This," Luna said, looking to Ginny, feeling like Hermione; "this is why we are better than the Sisters... stronger..." she smiled; "the amount of love between us?"

"We can't help but spread it," Fleur concluded.


End file.
